Hopes for an Empire
by SesshouMario
Summary: What starts as innocence turns into spiraling evil when ties of the past are discovered in the Mushroom Kingdom. Reviewing is greatly appreciated.
1. Dreadfully Diminuitive Departure

**Hopes for an Empire**

**by Roy Hawkings**

Prologue: The Legend of Mushroomia

An awfully long time ago, in a strange and far-off land, a bustling town thrived. Its inhabitants all were happy, and the town was prosperous. This land in which this town existed was called Mushroomia, and peace abounded; that is, until one day. This day, a great cataclysm struck the earth. Darkness and thunder crashed down upon the lands, sending black waves of water to smash the town to pieces. It seemed like the world was over, but the chaos suddenly ceased.

Many moons rose and fell, and few survivors of the cataclysm, memory completely gone, began to build a town on the soil of the old one. Towns and castles began to spring up everywhere, and this new land was dubbed the Mushroom Kingdom. Once all peace had returned, no one suspected that a disaster would befall them: that the creator of the great catastrophe, the demonic Shadow Queen, would rise in one thousand years if awakened to wreak havoc again.

One thousand years later, a foolish villain awakens the Shadow Queen. Mario, a legendary hero of this time, destroys her and peace once again returns to the Mushroom Kingdom. But what mysteries could still exist beneath the soil? Not only could the rising place of the Queen, Rogueport, hold such a tale. What else of Mushroomia still lurks under the Kingdom of Mushrooms today?

**Chapter One**

**Dreadfully Diminutive Departure from Disaster**

**The Mushroom Kingdom was once again at rest, free from the tendrils of evil which constantly bound it. Bowser had been conquered, Peach had been rescued, and the Toads and Yoshis were once again free to do anything without worry. It was almost Shangri-La here in everyone's favorite fungus world, and the residents were just fine with that.**

**Obviously enough, though, this was NOT going to last long.**

**"Oh, Your Grumpiness, I'm back with the groceries." Kammy Koopa stumbled into her master's castle, desperately trying to hold up the five grocery bags that she hugged to her chest. **

**There was no reply.**

**"Your Grumpiness?"**

**_Well, isn't that lovely of him!_ Kammy thought angrily. _I buy him seventeen thousand pounds of food that he said he "would DIE without," and now the big lug doesn't even come when I call him? _**

**The old witch heard scribbling noises from the next room. She opened the big red door that led to the King's room and there was her master, hard at work with a little lamplight lighting his work, which lay on a table in front of him. **

**Her master was not exactly what you'd call a handsome king, with red hair that flopped around like a rock star's, glaring eyes, claws, and a spiked shell on his back. He also wasn't the type to be sitting, hard at work at a table like he was writing a novel. **

**"King Bowser! I brought the groceries... they're in the kitchen."**

**"Mmm? Kammy? Oh, sorry. I'm not really hungry anymore." **

**Kammy nearly lost it. _Oh, yes, you'll DIE without food all right, because I'm going to... _Suddenly, the old Magikoopa decided not to throw a tantrum like she wanted to. Possibly, what Bowser had on his desk was worth the patience.**

**"What are you working on, Your Foulness?" **

**"Gwa ha ha! Please, Kammy, wait until I'm finished. I'm already giddy about this enough as it is!" The Koopa King furiously continued to jot down things onto the paper. **

**"May I please see? You know how much I love your brilliant work. At least tell me what it is." **

**"Oh, all right. It's a... plan. A plan to..." Bowser's face had an expression that made Kammy think he would burst out into laughter like a little girl and tee-hee himself to death. **

**"I... I'm almost _wetting _myself, it's so darn brilliant! IT'S A PLAN TO KILL MARIO AND TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"**

**_Oh, gee, I almost wet myself too. Woohoo. Wee. It's the Apocalypse. Bowser NEVER comes up with these plans..._**

**Bowser noticed the skeptical look on his servant's face. "Don't be a party pooper, Kam! Wait until you see... aww, I can't resist! Here, look at it!" Bowser held the paper up for his servant to see. **

**Kammy stifled a laugh which she was dying to release. She couldn't believe her eyes. Bowser's brilliant plan, which laid before her, was nothing more than a bunch of useless squiggles. She made out Mario. A blob with a mustache, which Bowser had also drawn and written stupid insults all over. The plumber had enormous buckteeth, and _I AM A BIG FAT LOOSER _was scrawled across his forehead. **

**"Oh, t-t-this is f-first class, Your E-E-Evilness. It's so brilliant i-i-it has me stuttering with excitement."**

**"But it's not done yet." Bowser took his finger and put it on the plan. "Here. I'll tell you what it's about." **

**The king's claw first pointed to a poorly drawn image of himself going to the store and buying something. **

**"What are you buying in the picture?" **

**"Invitations."**

**"Oh."**

**Bowser's finger moved to himself with a thought bubble, writing in the invitations. Something that looked like Cackletta (1) (but looked more like something you pick up after your dog on the side of the road) and some other foreign object were in the thought bubble. **

**"Er... what's that?" Kammy felt like she was asking a kindergartener what his finger painting was a representation of.**

**"That's Wart! My friend from Dream Land. The guy who hates veggies." **

**"Mmm."**

**The next picture. Bowser and a bunch of other people sitting around a fireplace, talking.**

**Then, the huge amount of people from the previous picture going after Mario and tearing him to shreds. **

**"It's a villain party," Bowser said proudly. "We'll invite all our friends and then the world will bow down to the Koopas! Gwa ha ha!" **

**"Hey, this actually isn't bad." Kammy liked this idea. It could work. Maybe if they hadn't been going solo on their villainous quests before, they could have won against the plumber. But there were so many baddies they could get together... so many that had failed before but could win now...**

**"Er, but Your Brilliantness, this plan looks like it's finished to me." **

**Bowser's eyes glittered menacingly. "That's because I haven't drawn the part where we eat Mario's friends and rule the world." **

**Kammy was scared for a moment. Bowser wasn't always the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had some brief moments where she swore she saw a truly evil demon in him. **

**"Ah, I'm finally glad things are back to normal... _again._" Toadsworth, the Princess of the Mushroom Castle's longtime steward, sat back and relaxed on his favorite lounge chair. It was so incredibly good to have the Princess back, so now he didn't have to wait for Mario to save the world again while he took residence in some crummy inn. Bleh. Rogueport was so distasteful, and a shadow taking over the world was equally bad. (2) But now things were back to the way they were before. Actually, though, this was quite unusual. Could he really say "things were back to _normal?" _Toadsworth thought a while. He suddenly realized that this was the _abnormal_ state of the Mushroom Kingdom. Usually, it was infested with baddies and the Princess was captured from some hideous old _thing. _**

**_I love abnormality, _the butler decided.**

**"Oh no! The Princess has been captured!"**

**The cry from the next room came from a familiar voice... TOAD! **

**"Nooooo!" The old man could almost feel himself clacking with his cane across the room in slow motion (as if it wasn't slow motion enough already), yelling. "Noooooo!" He dove towards the door- and found Peach's little guard, mouth agape. **

**Giggles broke out from the fungi's mouth. GIGGLES? **

**"Dear boy, have you gone insane?"**

**"N-N-No, Toadsworth! You're so gullible!"**

**The door to the dressing room opened, and out came the Princess... Princess Peach. She, however, looked more lavishly dressed then Toadsworth had ever seen. She had makeup on, and her most frilly pink dress, which looked more like a wedding gown. **

**Toadsworth glared angrily at Toad. "Please, Toad, for the love of Queen Bean (3), don't do that. I've just started to relax. Honestly." He turned to Peach, admiring the silky smoothness of her new dress. "What's the occasion for this, Princess?" **

**Peach blushed a little. "Well... I've been thinking... about... Mario." **

**Toad started giggling again. "Peach's got a cruuuushhhhy, Peach's got a cruuuushhhhy!" he sang. **

**"Why have you all of a sudden decided to do this, my fair Princess?"**

**"I've realized something. TEC (4) talking to me about love really awakened me to the fact that I may just..." Being the shy type around these kinds of things, Peach drifted off. **

**But Toadsworth looked pleased, and began rambling immediately. "Ah, _amore_? I do suppose it's time to add a prince to the Mushroom Kingdom, ha ha. 'Prince Mario.' 'Prince Mario.' Yes, that does have a nice ring to-"**

**"_Toadsworth!_" Peach cried. "I never said anything about that! All I want to do right now is get to know him better."**

**Toad scratched his head. "You sound so TV-show-ish, Peach. 'I want to get to know him better before we move into...' Waaaaait just a second."**

**"What?"**

**"_Get to know him better..._?"**

**"Yes, what about it?"**

**"Oh, nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I just, uh, you know, might want to mention to you... HE'S SAVED YOUR BUTT EIGHTY HUNDRED STINKIN' TIMES AND YOU WANT TO _GET TO KNOW HIM BETTER_?" **

**Toadsworth grinned slightly at Toad's childish naivety. "Oh ho, my boy. She's referring to a date... you know? She wants to take him out so they'll fall in true love."**

**Peach's face became flushed with embarrassment once more. "Well... I... I suppose that _is _what I really want. But it's so hard to start a relationship with someone. I'm so... shy."**

**"Don't worry, my dear Princess. The ability to speak with Mario about your feelings will come... you just have to try."**

**"But... oh, I'm not ready for this!" Peach stepped backward into the dressing room and slammed the door behind her.**

**Instantaneously, as Toad opened his mouth to say something, the older, wiser Toad replied as if reading the young mushroom's mind: "You'll understand when you are older, my young lad."**

**No one was occupying the Mario household the night that Bowser came up with his simple but brilliant plan. The two brothers had gone out to dinner since they had free time again, simply to relax: something that they both, Mario especially, needed desperately. **

**And so Mario and Luigi Mario went to the newest restaurant in Toadtown, Pianta (5) Pizza Parlor, hoping to get a good meal and some brotherly bonding time.**

**The instant the siblings sat down at a table, Mario flipped open the menu and began to scan it like a robot.**

**"Not hungry, are you, bro?" Luigi joked. "Hey, helloooo?"**

**Mario wasn't paying any attention to anything. This wasn't a surprise to his brother, who knew that unless Mario got food, he would continue to dream about it **

**until it came.**

**"Spaghetti ala puttanesca (6)! Lasagna! Ravioli! Luigi, this place has-a food pouring out of its nostrils!" **

**Luigi took a look at the menu, and soon he too was hypnotized by the array of Italian goodness. A voice came from behind the two dreaming fellows, knocking them out of their funk.**

**"Can I get you a drink tonight?" **

**A very pretty Pianta girl with pink skin was their server. She looked a bit nervous, and Luigi guessed it was because it was probably her first day on the job. (7) **

**"Yeah, I'll-a have a Fire Flower Spicy Soda," Mario said.**

**"I'm gonna have a Mushroom Creamy One."**

**"All right, I'll bring your drinks." **

**The waitress had left a bowl of chips on the table. Now that Mario finally had some food to cure his aching stomach, he started up a conversation. **

**"It feels-a so great to be able to do this again. I mean, I've-a been pretty caught up in saving Peach lately. We don't usually have time to sit down in a nice restaurant." **

**"Yeah, I know what you mean. I was kept pretty busy too by that whole Chestnut King ordeal. (8) That was a tall order for just one man." **

**"But look at what you got out of it," Mario said, "you had an entire-a book series written after-a you! That's not bad."**

**"No kidding. But I still spent a whole lotta time on that."**

**"It really seems like crime is at an all-a time high here in the Mushroom Kingdom today. I barely-a have enough time to blink in between my adventures!" **

**"You're right, I've noticed that too."**

**The older sibling leaned forward. "And you know-a what the strangest part of it is?"**

**Luigi thought for a second, then turned back and shook his head. "No, I can't think of anything at the moment," he said. **

**"The strangest-a part is," Mario paused briefly, "that Bowser, the one that _usually _causes the trouble, is the one-a giving us the _least_ trouble now."**

**"But what about when he tried to take the Crystal Stars (9) from you?"**

**Mario moved his hand back and forth in the air in a light motion. "That was nothing," he said. "Bowser always fell-a for the lamest tricks, and he had to enter a battle when I was-a weak to even stand a chance, which-a he didn't."**

**Luigi didn't reply. He looked deep in thought, and his expression showed signs of worry about something.**

**"Luigi... Earth-a to Luigi!" **

**"Oh, sorry. But when you said that it made me think... and now I'm a little concerned." **

**Mario raised an eyebrow. "About what?" **

**As the younger brother was about to answer, the waitress arrived with the brothers' drinks. She whipped a pen and notepad from her waistband and asked for their orders.**

**Mario and Luigi ordered their food, three pizzas. After the elder took a quick sip from his Spicy Soda, he asked Luigi the same question. **

**"So what are you-a concerned about?"**

**"Oh, nothing. It's not important. It's stupid." **

**"No, really! I want to know! We're-a brothers. You should-a share this with me." **

**"Fine. You win again. I'll share. I'm concerned because I think Bowser's plotting something." **

**Mario laughed. "Are you-a kidding me? Bowser's just an idiot. He _never _comes up with-a good plans. The only thing that makes him annoying is-a where he sets up his castles and his brute strength." **

**Luigi didn't appear to be satisfied. "But what if he has this sort of 'master plan,' Mario? Will you be prepared for it then? What if it's-"**

**"Trust me, Luigi, you shouldn't-a worry! There's no _way _Bowser would throw a curve-a ball out like that."**

**"Yeah, well," Luigi's head was down, looking at the table, "I think maybe you're underestimating his intelligence just a bit too much." **

**Mario was taken aback. "Well... I... I..."**

**Luigi's face rose up with a smile on it. "Oh, forget it. I said it was stupid. Who am I kidding? I should enjoy the chance to relax while it's still around."**

**_Woah, _Mario thought, _Luigi was pretty scary. He seemed so... serious. And scared! Does he know something that I don't?_**

**He decided to dismiss the issue.**

**After a while of waiting, and chit-chatting between the brothers about the local baseball team, the waitress arrived with two steaming hot pizzas. **

**Mario wrinkled his brow. "Uh, ma'am, I'm sorry, but we ordered three pizzas." **

**The waitress beamed. Her smile was bright and summery, but Mario noticed that if her mouth opened any wider her jaw would rip the rest of her face right off. _New staff members always try to act way too friendly, _he thought. **

**"Oh, I know you ordered three pizzas," said the Pianta. "My son is carrying the other one. Look, he's coming. Isn't he cute?" **

**Indeed, the girl's son was _adorable_. His tiny body was almost being crushed by the huge pizza, but he still struggled and managed to lug it to the brothers' table. Unfortunately, he couldn't reach the height of it, and began to jump so he could accomplish this. **

**Luigi bent down and gently took the pizza from the little boy. "Thank you very much," he said. "You're an excellent waiter." **

**"You hear that, Freddie?" The waitress picked her child up off the carpet flooring and held him in her arms. "He thinks you're a great waiter. Now what do you say?"**

**The younger Pianta held his finger up to his mouth, pondering his answer carefully. He came to his conclusion and said a quiet, "Tank you." **

**"You're welcome," said Luigi, grinning hugely. **

**After the waitress left, Mario and his brother made short work of the food that had been left for them. They were known for eating anything Italian in only a few minutes, and the waitress was certainly impressed when she returned to give them the check.**

**"You've got quite an appetite, boys," she exclaimed. **

**"What do you expect, we're-a the Mario brothers!" Mario and Luigi took of their hats and put their arms around each other in a sort of symbolic logo. **

**"The _Mario brothers? _Did I hear you correctly? You guys are- are celebrities! You saved the Piantas' very home, Isle Delfino!" **

**"Hey, being a celebrity doesn't mean you can't enjoy a quiet meal," Luigi said. "Speaking of which..." **

**"Is something wrong?" the waitress asked. Her face fell a little. **

**"Well, no, but... I just noticed. There's no one else here." **

**The waitress's ecstatic smile went to a depressed frown. "Yeah, that's not good news for me." She avoided her converser's eyes and stared vacantly at the wall. This was sudden. **

**"What-a do you mean? You're a new eatery, you can't-a expect to be on top as soon as you build the framework. Don't be so hard on yourself; your boss isn't going to _fire _you."**

**The Pianta girl sat down in a booth across from the brothers. She remained quiet for a few seconds, then spoke: "My boss is my father."**

**Luigi went over to the young woman and patted her shoulder. "Hey, listen. I'm pretty sure you're fathers a good guy, because most Piantas-" **

**Without warning, the waitress screamed, "You don't know my father at all!" **

**Luigi took a step backward. **

**"I- I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous. This restaurant really doesn't have enough money yet to afford advertising, so not a lot of people have come here yet. And my father says that if it isn't a success, it's my fault and that he'll hire another waitress in my place."**

**The server looked as if she was about to cry. **

**"Well, maybe I can-a give you a tip," Mario said. He dropped far more blue coins than he owed down into the coin tray.**

**"Tha- thank you," the girl murmured, picking up the tray and gaping at the money. "I don't know what to say."**

**Luigi sat back down in his seat. "Tell your father that we loved everything you did for us tonight."**

**The waitress said no more. She ran off, blushing crazily. **

**"We are _waaaaay _too nice," Luigi chuckled. **

**"Yeah, well..." Mario just stuffed his wallet back into his pocket, shrugging. "We should-a be going." **

**As he went to get up, he felt pain slicing its way through his stomach. He stopped instantly and cried out.**

**"What's wrong?" Luigi tried to get up and run over to his brother, but he too was grabbed by the throbbing stomach ache. **

**"Ahhhhhhh..." Mario clutched his belly. What was happening to him? Was the pizza not cooked long enough? What-? He gasped as he realized what was occurring- but he wanted to laugh. He was _inflating._ His stomach was growing at a steady pace, and he was about two times the size he was half a minute ago. **

**The Pianta server was coming back around the corner to Mario and Luigi's table. She saw them and giggled. She was smiling, but it was a malicious, evil smile. **

**"Well, well, well, looks like you two ate too much pizza."**

**Mario spun his head around, bewildered. "Y-You're-a behind this? What'd we ever do-a to you?"**

**"Oh, you never did anything to _Mrs. Wimpy Sob Story Waitress_," said the girl, "but you have done something to a certain... oh, why don't you see for yourself?" **

**The pink skin began sliding off of the waitress.**

**_What is she? _Mario thought, but then realized: _That's not her skin, that's someone else's costume! And I'm still expanding... but it seems to be slowing down._**

**But whose costume was it? Mario couldn't move his head; his neck was being embraced tightly by new saggy, fatty skin. This was disgusting, and he felt at a loss of breath.**

**"Show your full... self..." Luigi barely managed to utter a sound. His growth had slowed down too, but it was so painful to move... so tiring...**

**"You know, I almost wanted to keep up that act. You were both so sweet. Hugely sweet. Get it? You were _hugely sweet_! Eeyah ha ha! EEYAH HA HA!"**

**Mario knew who his enemy was the minute she had let the cackle slip from her throat. It was Cackletta, the evil witch of the Beanbean Kingdom! She let the costume fall to the floor to reveal her hideous, wrinkle-ridden face and pale jade skin. **

**"C-Cackletta, you... you jerk..."**

**"Oh, I didn't mean to spoil your brotherly night out, right when it was getting to the good part. I'm sorry, I'll make it better: I'll kill you both and then take over the world! How does that sound, my little fatties?" **

**"You... cheater... How did you... do this to us...?" Luigi coughed and hacked. Whatever Cackletta had done to the siblings was putting extreme strain on their bodies, and making it impossible to move. **

**Cackletta threw back her head and screeched a terrible high-pitched laugh. "You expect me to tell you? Oh, wait... why not? You're going to die anyway!"**

**As she was about to reveal her secret, Cackletta's "son", the blue-skinned Pianta boy, came toddling into the room.**

**"May I reveal to the Mario brothers who I hate the hilariously funny ingeniously genius plot which will ultimately end up in their demise?"**

**Cackletta's mouth formed a humongous grin. "Oh, why not, Fawful?"**

**The blue covering fell off of Cackletta's underling. He picked it up off the floor and whipped it at Luigi's face.**

**"Hee hee hee! You foolish fink-rat fools! If only you had studied the pizza which you thought would be yummy more carefully, then you would have realized we used poisonous Swell Mushrooms which make you inflate!"**

**"C-curse-a you two..." Mario was near passing out. Luigi had a book on Mushrooms... maybe he was asking this so he could find a counter to their attack!  
Luigi considered something. "Wait... but Swell Mushrooms take effect only if the eater has been physically inactive for five minutes! How did you know we would still be here so you could..."**

**"How do you think?" Cackletta sustained her toothy smirking. "Do you have such short-term memory that you don't happen to remember that _tragic _story about my mean ol' pop putting me under pressure?" **

**"_You witch!" _Mario yelled. **

**"Oh, that's rather frantic. You usually are so calm, Mario... but I might be in frenzy, too, if I was gaining as many pounds as you are! EEYAH HA HA! Cut some carbs, Loser Bros.!"**

**Fawful was absolutely giddy. "But Miss Cackletta, you forgot the best part! The part where we boil these fools and you and I rule the world which is deserving to be ours!"**

**With what was left of his draining breath, Luigi managed a whispery, "Buh-buh-buh-_boil _us?" **

**"Oh, listen to the stuttering! It's priceless! 'Buh-buh-boil'? This is a keeper! I wish I had a camera to catch the look on your faces!" Cackletta slapped her knees and, well, cackled. **

**"What we can _see _of their faces!" Fawful roared with tee-hee-ing hilarity. **

**The two creeps rolled the brothers (literally) onto a food cart and brought them into the kitchen. What the poor mustachioed men caught a glimpse of next made them feel if they were seeing things. **

**DREADFULLY DIMINUITIVE DEPARTURE FROM DISASTER/END**


	2. Freaky Fondue & Mad Magikoopa

**Author's notes & stuff: Sorry for the lack of author's notage in the last chapter. I'm still learning the controls and stuff. I'm glad people gave me reviews (Yay! A one-word review!). These would be appreciated; oh, and by the way, this chapter is barrels more fun than the last one was. ;) We're getting some action in, which you'll see plenty more of in this fic. Battle scenes rock.**

**Chapter Two**

**Freaky Fondue & Mad Magikoopa**

**Mario and Luigi, who were now essentially two balls of lard, were face-to-face with an enormous steaming vat of fondue. Steam rose from the cheesy pit of death, along with sumptuous cheddar smells. But the superstar siblings had not time to think of this now, or they, too, would be melting like the cheese.**

**Mario screamed, "You're-a crazy! You can't drop us into that!" **

**"Oh, but we can, you fink-ratso-fatso! You will soon become the delicious meatballs in the yummy cheese fondue which Cackletta and I have turned up to full heat to boil and burn you with!" Fawful gleefully rubbed his hands together. He sucked some of the fondue up with his headgear (10), let it flow into a bowl, and offered it to the elder brother, who refused to take it.**

**"Suit yourself, fool," said the lackey, who then walked off with Cackletta to add some more heat to the vat in the next room.**

**"Luigi, how are we going-a to get out of this one?" Mario yelled. "I can't use my super jumping powers to do anything when I'm this fat!"**

**Luigi showed no reaction. He was shivering and shaking, too dismayed to say or do anything. **

**"Oh, Luigi, come on, _think_," Mario pleaded. The fondue was obviously getting hotter, as more and more steam began to cloud the room.**

**"I can't... we-we're about to be boiled alive!"**

**"Okay, just... just tell me everything you know about Swell Mushrooms!"**

**"All right, I know they're green."**

**"Yeah?"**

**"And they taste good."**

**"Yeah?"**

**"And they make your body size increase by releasing a chemical which sort of turns your fat into a sponge and makes it expand."**

**"Yeah? Oh wait, that's it! So you mean-a they don't add to your body fat, just make it expand?"**

**"Yeah! A mushroom that small couldn't increase your body fat by more than half a percent! A heavy gas is just spreading apart the fat by making it less dense, like water does to a sponge."**

**"Gas... gas. So... if we get rid of this gas, then our body size will return to normal?" (Author's note: None of this actually makes sense, it just sounds cool.)**

**"Yeah, but how are we going to do that?"**

**Mario looked around the sweltering room. He spotted the bowl that Fawful had left sitting on the edge of the vat of fondue and snatched it up. He drank greedily from the small bowl, leaving more or less an equal portion for his brother.**

**"What's fondue going to do?"**

**Mario had no time to explain, as Cackletta and Fawful were returning. "Just eat it!" he cried, lobbing the bowl to his brother. What happened next was very sickening, very odd, and just plain unlucky for everyone.**

**Mario's toss of the bowl to Luigi couldn't have been crappier. It had landed directly in the middle of his stomach and didn't roll off, it was just _balancing _there. The younger brother was wrenching all the energy from his body into his arms trying to get the bowl, but he could not. His fingers just missed it. **

**Mario took a stab at helping his brother. He reached for the bowl with his own weak arm and... he wasn't even close. He would have to turn himself to get to it. So he began to rotate by using his hands to pull him forward, his gloves making _squeak squeak _noises on the metal food cart.**

**But all in all, Mario wasn't making any progress. Every time he heaved himself forward, his body moved about an inch. He felt so much heavier than he really was... he wasn't used to this size.**

**Cackletta opened the door into the kitchen again. "Eeyah ha ha! You brothers are going to..." She did a double take as she saw what they were doing. "What on earth...? Are you hungry for the fondue? Oh, don't worry... you'll have plenty of it in time! EEYAH HA HA!" **

**Fawful stood right behind her. "Oh, so you have now decided to eat the fondue that you refused to eat in the early stages of my giving? Well, I will be a nice man and let you enjoy the mouth-wateringly cheesy yumfulness which is the Cackletta & Fawful Fondue!" He pushed the bowl forward until it landed, with a splatter, in Luigi's face. **

**"Lick the bowl!" Mario hissed.**

**Luigi followed his directions and slurped up what he could of the food. _They should read a cookbook. This fondue is way too watery, _he thought.**

**"And now comes the fun part." Cackletta had in her hands a sort of remote. She pointed to the ceiling, where Mario and Luigi looked up towards. Above them was a clawlike crane that reminded Luigi of one of those stuffed-animal-grabbing arcade games. They were such a gyp, but this time Cackletta and Fawful _were_ going to win the prizes.**

**The claw lowered, then opened up to fit the gargantuan brothers inside. Once it had grabbed hold of them, it positioned itself over the cheese pit.   
"Goodbye," the old witch said, then pressed the EJECT button on the remote. **

**There was an explosion right then and there. It caught everyone by surprise, and the cause of it was not the crane malfunctioning: it was the Mario brothers' bottoms. They had both let out devastating farts, which were now propelling them around the room as if they were deflating balloons. **

**"_What in the name of-_"**

**Cackletta had no time to utter any more words. The brothers were literally bouncing off the walls, moving at a shocking speed. They were coming right at her! She dove underneath the kitchen countertop, Fawful at her rear. **

**"Move, let me into the space where I will have safety!" Fawful cried. **

**"I can't, there's not enough room for you!" **

**Fawful glared. "Well, maybe you should take a weight loss program!"**

**"YOU LITTLE-"**

**Luigi's shrinking stomach skimmed the fondue as he rebounded, splashing drops of it onto Cackletta.**

**"MY EYES! MY STUPID EYES! OHH, IT HURTS! FAWFUL, GET ME SOME WATER! HEEEELLLLLP!"**

**Cackletta was rampaging through the kitchen, crashing into just as much stuff, if not more, as the brothers were. **

**"This is fun!" Mario let out a whooping laugh as he collided and ricocheted off of Fawful, who was crushed against the wall. He slid off, moaning.**

**"HURRY UP, FAWFUL! WHERE'S THAT WATER? I NEED IT RIGHT NOW! WHERE'S THE STINKIN' SINK? WHERE? WHE-"**

**Cackletta had found the stinkin' sink. She groped blindly for the handles, found them, and turned the cold water to full blast. Unfortunately, the sink was old, and it wasn't working quite the way it was supposed to. It burst, sending a shower of water into the air. Like a fire hydrant, water jetted across the room, splattering the walls and everything around it. The faucet flew right off and hit Cackletta in the face, _CLANG! _She fell over but regained her sight.**

**"Uggh... OH MY GOODNESS! I DIDN'T NEED THAT MUCH WATER! NO! NO! NO!"**

**The pipes where the sink used to be were rusty and old. They gave way, too. The room became nothing but river rapids. The fondue pot was soon filled to the brim with liquid other than fondue.**

**Mario and Luigi had almost finished their flying quest, but not yet. They bounced one last time against the wall, then flew out of the restaurant through a window and onto the grassy ground. They were back to normal!  
Meanwhile, Cackletta and Fawful tried in vain to turn the water off. It sprayed the crane, which happened to be powered by an electric generator. **

**"D-do you hear those zapping noises, Miss Cackletta?" Fawful was staring helplessly at the generator. **

**"I DON'T CARE! HELP ME FIND THE- what are you looking at...?"**

**Cackletta turned to the electric generator and then screamed as it became engulfed in huge flames and flying sparks. **

**"NOOOOOOOOOO!"**

**The Pianta Pizza Parlor exploded, sending water, fondue, debris, and a shower of pizza ingredients onto the land surrounding it, including Mario and Luigi. As they watched the structures of the building collapse and burn, Mario said, "Hey! The pepperoni-a landed here!"**

**Kammy got up the next morning with an atrocious headache. She had gotten absolutely no sleep the previous night, and all she wanted was just a trifle of rest, but NO! Bowser was doing something extremely noisy in the next room. She stomped into his room to tell him off.**

**"Your Evilness, _must _you make so much noise? I'm very tired."**

**Bowser was typing on his Koopa Komputer, not listening.**

**"Oh, what are you doing now?" The witch was mildly interested like she had been the other day.**

**"I'm starting Step Two of my plan," the Koopa King replied. "'Making invitations.' Sorry about the racket... this gosh-darn printer makes a whole lot of it."**

** "I can help you... where's the guest list?" **

**"It's over there, on my bedside table."**

**Kammy strolled over and causally picked up the list. She took a quick look at it. "Holy Goomba's feet!"**

**Bowser called back to her, "So, impressed?"**

**"Well, yes," she said. "I didn't know we knew this many people." She looked up. "Er, but is it really even necessary to invite all of them?"**

**"Hey, the more the merrier. Not to mention the better odds that we'll be able to beat that stinking plumber."**

**"The odds that _he'll _win are a million to none, with all these."**

**"Mm-hmm. Exactly. Well, I'm up to Kamek. Why don't you lay down in another room?"**

**"Not a bad idea. Good luck."**

**Kammy left and walked into one of the hallways. This plan was really going to work. And goodness, was her master living up to the evil Koopa name. She bumped into Bowser's son, who he and most other people affectionately called Junior.**

**"Oh, hey, B-Junior. What's up?"**

**"Papa woke me up with all of his typing and printing. It's really getting on my nerves. I mean, I know about his ingenious plan n'all, but jeez!" Bowser Jr. rolled his eyes.**

**"I was going to take a nap, but hey, I'm up, so let's get some breakfast."**

**"Okay!"**

**After navigating their way through the enemy-and trap-filled walkways, they arrived at the kitchen, which was just as dreary and made out of stone as any other room. The only sources of light were flame torches that lined the walls. As they entered, Bowser Jr. went straight for the Fruity Goomba Puffs, while Kammy headed in the direction of the newspaper which was always dropped off by a machine in the morning. **

**"Ah, _Mushroom Times, _how I love you," she whispered dramatically. **

**She picked it up and began to hate the paper immediately. The cover headline was all she needed to see to have fury burning in her eyes.**

**_Mario Brothers Save World From Fondue Doom._**

**She read the article and began to shout at the paper like many people do when angry at a columnist or writer. **

**"What're you so angry about, Aunt Kammy?" (Author's note: This is a term of affection; she's not his actual aunt.) Bowser Jr. looked curious.**

**"Look at this!" She practically shoved the newspaper into his face. **

**"WHAT? Cackletta and Fawful got 'rested? But I thought the whole Swell 'Shroom thing would work!" **

**"I did too," Kammy said, still fuming. She ripped the paper out of Bowser's son's hands and threw it into one of the flame torches. It burned to ashes immediately. **

**"That's it," roared Kammy. "I've had it with these obnoxious brothers. This plan will not fail! WE WILL RULE THIS WORLD!"**

**Three days later, the Koopa line had all the invitations made and sent out, the various party materials bought, and everything set up. Kammy had been so angry about her best friend Cackletta losing to the siblings that she had ordered every single troop in the castle to pitch in. **

**Kamek the Magikoopa was having a great morning. The sky was black, it was raining, and he had just got to the good part of _Advanced Spells and Chants_, the book he had bought yesterday. **

**He went out to get the mail in his blue plaid pajamas, not caring if he got wet (which was quite obviously unavoidable). He opened his mailbox to find a very specially decorated letter with horns and orange and black coloring... and some bills. **

**"13 Koopa Lane... oh, I wonder who this is from," joked Kamek to himself as he moseyed back to his house, rain splashing and forming puddles around him.**

**After he got inside, he closed the door, ripped open the letter, and began to read:**

**_Come to BOWSER'S BADDIE BASH!_**

_**We will watch movies, eat food, and best of all, come up with plans to kill all of our nemesis, Mario! Then, we carry out these plans and the world is ours! Let's have fun!**_

_**Date: Fire Flower 16**_

_**Time: 09:00**_

_**Place: Bowser's Castle**_

_**Get ready for evil fun!**_

_**RVSP: 136-1313**_

**"I'm definitely going to _this,_" said Kamek, intrigued. He wondered who else was coming? He called up his friend, Magik, who was Bowser's third favorite Magikoopa minion, to find out if she was going or not. **

**"Hello, Magik?"**

**"Oh hi, Kamek! It's nice to hear from ya! What's up?"**

**"I was wondering if you were thinking about going to Bowser's party over the weekend. Are you? Because I know that I am, I mean, it sounds like a bunch of fun..."**

**"What party?"**

**"You don't know about the Mario-hating party?"**

**"No."**

**"You mean... you didn't get an invitation?"**

**Magik's voice grew a little hurt. "Does it _sound _like I got an invitation? Nope, I got nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch invitations."**

**"Oh... oh well." **

**"What do you mean 'oh well'? Are you saying he didn't want me in the party?" **

**_Oh, great. Magik's getting agitated, and every time she gets agitated, she overreacts and does something stupid. Really stupid. _**

**"Hello? Kamek? Why aren't you talking? Do you hate me just like Bowser and everyone else does? KAMEK?"**

**Kamek tried frantically to soothe his angry friend. "No, no, not everyone hates you... I'm pretty sure that-"**

**Magik's sanity strings were snapping. "So not _everyone _hates me, just _most _people, is that what you're saying? Is it? IS IT?" She was screaming heatedly now. **

**"Calm down... Bowser probably just forgot about you."**

**Directly after saying this, the poor Magikoopa realized that he had made a fatal mistake. He winced and held the phone a few feet from his ear as Magik flew into an infuriated rage.**

**"OH, SO I'M JUST SOME FORGETTABLE LOSER WHO _NO ONE _REMEMBERS OR CARES ABOUT? JUST A GOOMBA ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHO YOU CAN STEP ON? NO, I DON'T THINK SO! BOWSER WILL REGRET NOT INVITING ME TO HIS PARTY AFTER I'M THROUGH WITH HIM!" Click. Dead line.**

**"Oh, crap." Kamek said what he thought out loud. It was never good when Magik was angry like this... because the last time it happened, oh _boy_ was that not good. A flashback came to the Magikoopa as he sat there...**

**"Come on, Kamek, honey, you're going to be late!" Kamek's mother called a small, boyish-faced Magikoopa as he stood at the top of the stairs getting into his sorcerer's clothes. **

**"No I'm not, Mom. I wouldn't be a minute late for Magik's birthday party if my life depended on it!" The little Kamek finished putting his hands through his sleeves and raced down the stairs to the door. He exited into the sunshine with his mother, who both walked down the street to Magik's house.**

**Magik's mother greeted Kamek's mother, and the two talked for a while (as mothers tend to do) until they were through. Magik's mother then took Kamek's present and put it on the present table. **

**"No one else is here yet?" Kamek asked.**

**"Nope, not yet. They're gonna come, though." Magik looked at the lone present. "Hey, whaddja get me?"**

**"I'm not telling."**

**"Oh, come on."**

**"No!" **

**The two little villains-in-training ran around the yard, chasing and tickling each other. Soon, more and more partygoers came and they all played tag. **

**"How cute," Magik's mother said as they played. **

**Then it was time for the present-opening, which, of course, Magik thought was the best part. **

**She first opened the present from Kamek. "A Level Two Spell Kit! I can learn new Magikoopa spells! Cool! Thanks, Kamek." The little girl hugged her best friend. **

**Next was a Magikoopa hat (red, Magik's favorite color), a new Magikoopa robe (also red) and then several other presents up until the last one. It was given by a little boy named Ikoop. Magik had always had a crush on Ikoop. **

**Magik enthusiastically opened her final present. It was a magic wand, and a red one, two, with glitter covering it. It was pretty, but only to a kid.**

**"Ikoop... a brand-new magic wand... for me? You shouldn't have!" She went to hug him, but he dodged her.**

**"Oh, no, I really think I needed to. Here, watch, I'll show you how to use it."**

**And he picked up the wand, said "Magikoopa Magic!" and swung it with vigor. **

**"Okay!" Magik grabbed the wand from her crush. She then tried it herself.**

**"Magikoopa Magic!" As she swung the wand, it burst open, splashing sticky mushroom juice all over the young girl's new robe and hat. A note also popped out, saying, _You're a loser and I'll never love you._**

**Magik gazed down at the note, then at her robe and hat. Her lip quivered miserably, and not soon after, she began to bawl her eyes out. She then, crying, roared, "_You'll pay for this_!" and wrenched her real magic wand from her pocket.**

**"Ha, it's not as if a dorky pimple-face like you could ever learn real magic, much less use it!" Ikoop laughed cruelly. **

**She swung her magic wand powerfully, said an incantation she had heard her father use before, and then the horror began. **

**Magik's house turned into a huge, monstrous Blarrg. (12) It roared, hot lava dripping from its mouth. The kids ran and screamed; the grass was incinerated before the lava even touched it. **

**But Magik wasn't done yet. She was so angry, so full of fury, that she grabbed Ikoop and tried to push him into the Blarrg's hot, sticky drool. **

**"No, Magik!" Magik's mother rushed forward.**

**"NO ONE LIKES ME!" Magik had cried, pushing Ikoop to the ground... and to the lava. **

**Kamek stopped his reminiscing. Ikoop badly burned his hand (yes, only his hand had fallen into the puddle of lava) in that incident, but he could have died. **

**Kamek did not want this to happen again, especially to the child he took care of, Bowser! He would have to take drastic action to stop her. If Magik could cast such powerful spells then, what could she do to Bowser now? **

**"Well, I guess-a we really took care of them, eh, Luigi?" Mario said, watching television at the brothers' house.**

**"Why are you asking me this now, bro? It happened three days ago!" Luigi was making lunch for himself: a salami and ground mushroom sandwich.**

**"We're on Channel 14's special," Mario said. **

**"Oh. What? Really?" Luigi looked excited. "They never told us they were going to do a segment on us." **

**"They didn't need to. What were we going-a to say? No?" Mario snorted. "We're on the news enough already."**

**"What's it about?"**

**"Uh... us."**

**"Yeah, but what are they showing?"**

**"Oh, that's-a what you mean. Sorry, I'm a bit slow today due to the rain."**

**Luigi looked out the window. It was pouring. "Jeez, the rain's _still _not letting up. Hmph. So, what were you saying it was about?"**

**"They're-a doing a _Mario and Luigi Through the Years _sorta thing. See, look, that's-a us saving Queen Bean." The elder brother pointed to the television.**

**"Oh, that was fun."**

**"Don't lie, you-a were scared as heck."**

**"You're right, but don't say you weren't. That Belly Blech Worm (13) was creepy."**

**"I know, it was-a really creepy." Mario said. He slapped his brother on the back. "Hey, that sandwich-a looks awful good. I think I'll make-a one too. Let's go watch ourselves."**

**Mario and Luigi unsuspectingly ate sandwiches, knowing absolutely nothing about the event which would bring them into their biggest adventure yet.**

**FREAKY FONDUE & MAD MAGIKOOPA/END**

**More author's notes: Hope you enjoyed the Mario Bros./Cackletta scene. I certainly loved writing it. Tell me what you think of the chapter, please! I'm a new fanficcer (that's not a word, is it- oh well) and I need encouragement to keep my train going. I THINK I CAN... woo woo! I THINK I CAN...  The plot starts to develop in the next chapter, so GET PUMPED! ROOOOAR! (What the hell?)**


	3. Tricky Thief Trouble

**Author's notes: Sorry for the later-than-usual update; I bought Paper Mario. Yes, the original. I played the second before I ever played the first, and so many people loved it, so I thought "WHAT THE HEY?" Whipping out the old N64 brought back memories... ahh... Well, what am I rambling about this for? It has NOTHING to do with my story! JEEZ! Okay, I was just wondering: do I write long chapters or something? I saw a story with 10,000 words and 13 chapters. My story had 7,800 words and 2 chapters. (I'm trying to write this book-style, with long chapters...) Are they TOO long...? Ahh, whatever. I'll shut up now. Read, please, NOW!**

**Chapter Three**

**Tricky Thieves**

**Magik slammed the door to her quaint cottage, taking the advice her therapist had given her: _Whenever you feel a lot of stress, try to walk it off. _And so she began her walk, her stride a stomping mass of anger. As she passed by a clump of Super Mushrooms, she crushed them with her foot. They reminded her of Mario, who she hated, which reminded her of all the different villains who also hated him, which reminded her of Kamek being one of them, which reminded her that he got invited to the darn party and she didn't. So she crushed them, dug them into the ground with her boot, and laughed maniacally. She pretended they were Bowser's stupid face! She grinded them harder. But this didn't help, because she knew that mashing a few helpless mushrooms that she was pretending were an evil king would not get her an invitation to the party.**

** The bushes that surrounded the former mushrooms looked appalled (this was not out of the ordinary, as nearly everything, including flora, has eyes in the Mushroom Kingdom). They simply looked away, but if they could have backed up and whistled, they would have done so.**

**"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Magik cried, stomping her foot. Then she just laughed. _How ridiculous can I possibly get? Talking to BUSHES? But then again... they could be my only friends. I can't help it if I get a little emotional sometimes. Why does everyone ignore me? _**

**She was close to crying. Oh, she was being so stupid. Getting bent out of shape about everything yet again, YET AGAIN. **

**_It's not just that Bowser didn't invite me to the party. I only want someone who can understand me when I'm feeling like this. Kamek only worries that I'll do something dangerous. I just want someone I can confide in..._**

**Magik heard giggling behind her. She turned around, and saw a group of Toads, little girls, whispering and pointing at her.**

**"That's the crazy witch lady I was telling you about," one of them said.**

**The poor Magikoopa's anger exploded. She hadn't been this upset before in her life, and tried to restrain from doing anything hazardous. She couldn't believe it. Everyone really did hate her. Even little girls thought she was a kook; Bowser forgot about her, Kamek was uptight, everyone else didn't give diddly-squat. Magik burst into a shower of tears... she ran down the street, sobbing and sprinting to nowhere. She had nowhere to go, no friends... no one. **

**Out of nowhere, she had an insane thought: _Why should I just teach Bowser a lesson? Why not EVERYONE? They all hate me anyway, it's not as if this will matter! I'll turn them all into SLUGS!_**

**Now she was laughing, crying and running. Until...**

**"Excuse me, ma'am, are you okay?" **

**She kept going- wait, whoa, nelly! Who in the world was this? Magik had never heard a voice like this before: it calmed her down, made her feel much better. The voice had floated to her like melodious poetry. She stopped, and realized she had ran to an almost deserted bus stop.**

**"Ma'am? Why are you crying?" Magik looked down to see who was talking to her. It was a boy in overalls, sitting on the bench: no, not a Toad, just a regular Mushroomian. His blue, crystallike eyes had sympathy in them. **

**"Oh, I'm- I'm sorry, little boy. Did I frighten you...?" She knew his answer right away. _Yeah, 'cause you're a crazy witch!_**

**However, she "knew" his answer wrong. "No... I wanted to know if you were all right. You look really sad or mad about sumthin'."**

**"Uh... no, I'm just out for a run." _Oh, what a stupid thing to say!_**

**He got up off the bench, pointed at her tear-streaked face, and said, "But you've been crying. Here, lemme help." He took out a rag from his pocket and wiped her face. **

**"Thanks."**

**"Hey, that's a cool hat. Are you a Magikoopa from the Koopa Kingdom?"**

**"Why, yes... you know about us Magikoopas?"**

**The boy looked enthusiastic. "Yeah, 'course I do! You guys go after that Italian plumber, Mario. You should kick his butt!"**

**Magik patted the boy's head, and they both sat down on The Mushroom Bus bench. "We want to, but we've been having a bit of trouble."**

**Strangely, the boy changed the subject. "Er... can you answer my question from before?**

**"What's that?" **

**"...Why were you crying...?" **

**"Oh. Um... why do you ask?"**

**"'Cause... 'cause I cry a lot too. My mommy says if you talk to other people, it helps." **

**This little tyke was being so sweet to Magik. She felt as if this was the one she had been asking for, even if he was a bit young. The one she could talk to, no matter what. His angelic voice alone had calmed her down. **

**"I... feel like everyone hates me." Why was she talking to this child like he was a therapist?**

**The boy gasped. "That's the same thing as me!"**

**Magik was quite shocked. "What could anyone have against a charming little man like you?"**

**The boy looked down. "I can't make any friends at school. They always say, 'Your father's a nutty old professor, and we don't wanna hang around with you.'"**

**The tone in his voice made Magik angry. Not at him, but at everyone else again. Everyone had rejected him, too. **

**"Well, maybe you should... try to find someone who will be nice."**

**The boy shook his head. "No. They all don't like me. Sometimes they play mean pranks on me. I want revenge, but I don't think that's the right thing to do. They splashed mushroom juice on me and called me a loser."**

**A flashback swirled through Magik's mind. The mushroom juice. The note. That jerk, Ikoop. **

**"Who says revenge isn't the right thing to do?"**

**Any sensible adult would have taken back what they said right then and there, but Magik's emotions and that flashback had snapped her mind in two. **

**"What are you talking about?"**

**"I'm saying, why don't you get those jerks back for what they did to you?" **

**The boy gawked. "But my mom said..."**

**"Who cares what your mom said? She's delusional. What those kids did to you is inexcusable. You've probably made up a bunch of plans to fool them anyway." **

**"Plans... yeah, you mean like when I think of mean ways to get revenge on the bullies?"**

**"Yes, I do. You got any bubbling in your head, kid?"**

**"Actually, I have one right here." He pulled out a piece of paper.**

**"Ooh, organized vengeance," said Magik. She grabbed the paper and looked at it. "You... you need a spellcaster?**

**"Um, well, yeah. It's always been my dream to meet a Magikoopa. They're so neat, and they could help me get back at meanies!"**

**"You're looking at a Magikoopa right here! We'll take care of these bums." She and her newfound friend got up off the bench and began to discuss the plan, strolling off into the setting sun.**

**If Kamek were there, he would have had a heart attack. If he knew what was coming up next, he would have died. And for good reason.**

**At Bowser's Castle, everyone was quite bored and impatient. Kammy sat in her chair, tapping her foot. **

**"You know, we should have set this party for an earlier date," she said.**

**Bowser shrugged. "How was I supposed to know it was going to be this suspenseful and anticipated?"**

**Kammy squinted at Bowser. "Are you serious?"**

**"Well yeah, why?"**

**Bowser Jr. got his bottom off of the orange carpeting and walked over to his father. "Papa, you invented a plan that could eliminate Mario forever and you didn't think we would want it to happen soon? But... that's like everyone in the castle's main goal, especially yours an' mine!"**

**The Koopa King blushed, a bit embarrassed. "Er... well... maybe I should have scheduled it to be earlier. But they always say, anticipation is the best part."**

**Kammy slapped her hand to her forehead. "Not in this case! You realize who we're up against, right? ...Wait. Don't answer that. I might _confuse _you."**

**"WHAT? How dare you insult your master? I ought to-"**

**"I'm just eager to tear him to shreds, that's all! I can't forgive him for beating the crud out of Cackletta!"  
Bowser nodded. "Well, okay, I admit I had a grudge on her after she possessed me, but I still expected her to win with that plan. Mario's always got tricks up his sleeve."**

**"Which is exactly why this should have come earlier. Making the party come later just gives Mario more time to figure us out. Gossip spreads quickly in this crazy place!"**

**Bowser admitted he had made a stupid mistake. "We won't be found out, though. I mean, it's not as if-"**

**CA-RAAAAAAAAAAASH! A huge sound of shattering glass, thumping, and a creature's roar came from the castle basement. The floor shook underneath the talking troublemakers.**

**"Wh-what was that, Papa?" Bowser Jr. bit his lip, looking frightened.**

**"I don't know. Just... hide under something!" **

**Everyone in the room picked a hiding place: Kammy, under Bowser's bed, Bowser, in his closet, and Bowser Jr. was just small enough to squeeze into a dresser drawer.**

**After about five minutes or so of strange noises from below, the chaos ceased.**

**Kammy and the Koopa King crawled out from where their places of shelter. However, Bowser's son wasn't so lucky as to have picked an uncramped one.**

**"HEEELLLP! I can't get out! I'm stuuuuck! Let me oooouuuut!" POUND. BANG. SLAM.**

**"Don't worry, B-Junior, I gotcha," said Kammy. She hustled over to the dresser, opened the drawer, and attempted to pull her junior master out. It didn't work. **

**Fifteen minutes and one tub of butter later, he was unstuck. Being a long process, the baddies had forgotten about the previous ordeal. Recalling it, Kammy brought up an obvious but intelligent question: "So, what in heck do you think that was?"**

**"I don't know," said Bowser. "Maybe we should go check it out." He shuddered, thinking about the possibilities. "Or, er, maybe not."**

**"I don't wanna go, that's for sure." Bowser Jr. declared this as if he and his friends were daring each other to sneak into a "scary old lady's" house.**

**"Oh, I'm glad you two are so brave. Especially since there might have been a bomb set down there. Kammy said this absentmindedly, then realized that what she had stated could actually be true. A fire was lit under the Koopa's arses.**

**The trio of villains dashed as fast as they could out of Bowser's room, up the hall, and down the flight of stairs to the cellar. **

**They searched around frantically for the source of the noise. Kammy found it. Bowser's "secret storage vault" had been torn open by something. The metal was literally peeled off like a banana peel and lay curled up on the stone floor.**

**"Okay, so there's no bomb, then. _That's _a relief. Just some idiot thieves." She poked the remains of the huge steel door.**

**The king walked into the vault. "Funny, you'd think thieves would _take _something when they broke in."**

**Bowser Jr. peeked in. "You mean nothing's missing?"**

**"Well, what I can see from a quick check, no. I'll have to search in detail to find out if something small was stolen. Now what's interesting is how this metal was ripped off. I wonder who or what could have done something like this." **

**Kammy's voice came from the other side of the room, barely audible and whimpering. "Erm... I know what could have."**

**"What?" Bowser looked at her, then gasped. **

**A giant, towering Koopa with a bill instead of a mouth that curved into a hook stood in front of Kammy. It didn't look happy, and it appeared that it was waiting for some sign of movement. **

**"Papa, I-I thought you caged Hookbill up after he lost to Yoshi!"**

**"Me too," murmured Bowser, stupefied. "Don't wor-"**

**Hookbill dove forward, and Kammy ran to the left to dodge the danger. She barely made it, then scrambled up a support pole for safety. **

**Hookbill bit the support pole in two. Kammy jumped off and ran to another one. The giant Koopa roared in anger.**

**"Kammy, stop! If he destroys all the support poles, the castle will collapse on top of us!" Bowser screamed frantically. **

**The frantic scream attracted Hookbill. It lumbered toward Bowser and his son. **

**"P-P-Papa, do something!"**

**"I can't! He's too strong!"**

**Kammy still made time for complaining, yelling, "Oh, pull yourself together, man! You're the Koopa King, you rule over this fatso scum! Do something kingly, puh-leeeease!"**

**"All right," choked out Bowser. "I'll try. STOP NOW! I ORDER YOU TO NOT ATTACK ME!"**

**Hookbill let a firey snarl fly from his throat. He sprinted toward the horned king, the basement floor shaking under his colossal weight.**

**"Oh, darn." Bowser grabbed his leg-clinging son and ran for the piece of curled metal. He swung it around in the monster's face.**

**But it was no good. Hookbill dodged every attempt at a blow that Bowser had. **

**"YOU STINK!" Kammy shrieked. "YOU CALL YOURSELF A BLOODY KING?"**

**The sound of a loud voice once again lured Hookbill. Kammy slid down the support pole and aimed a high tae-kwon-doe kick at his face. **

**Hookbill expected Kammy to be a weak old bat, but his head twisted almost three hundred sixty degrees around as his head and the witch's foot connected. He fell to the ground, tottering helplessly on his shell.**

**"That's his weak point!" cried Bowser. He dove in and performed his equivalent to Mario's Ground Pound, the Bowser Bomb. He slammed down on Hookbill's tummy, bouncing off. He had done absolutely no damage. **

**"Oof!" Bowser grunted as he landed on the ground. "Look's like good ol' Hookbill's gained more weight than I thought." As he said this, the gargantuan Koopa managed to get up. **

**"I guess that his bony head's the weak spot now," Bowser Jr. said. He whipped out his magic paintbrush (14) and drew a goop bullet. It flew towards Hookbill quite quickly, but the Koopa dodged it just as easily as he had the metal blows.**

**"Draw more of them, so he won't have a chance of getting away!" Kammy directed.**

**"Okay!" Bowser's son thrashed the paintbrush through the air, drawing about ten goop bullets. As before, they missed.**

**"Faster, faster!" The two others egged on Bowser Jr.**

**"Okay, going faster!" Twenty bullets were dodged.**

**"Make more!"  
Bowser Jr. looked sadly down at the magic brush. "I can't do much more! I'm running out of paint!"**

**Kammy seized the brush and glowered at it. "It's a flippin' _magic_ brush and it doesn't even have an UNLIMITED PAINT SUPPLY?"**

**"Well, no," said Bowser's timid son.**

**"That's it, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Bowser charged forward at his own minion and jumped into the air. **

**"You were _being _Mr. Nice Guy in the _first place_?" Kammy shouted. **

**Bowser payed no attention and clawed his former minion across the chest. Unlike the other attempts, this one hit while doing considerable damage. Hookbill didn't even have a chance to move his toe before he was slashed, tripping and falling back into a shelf with Bowser's bowling trophies. **

**"My trophies!" **

**They started to fall. The Koopa King dove forward to save the precious golden victory symbols. There were too many to catch in his hands alone, which meant he had to balance some on his shoulders and head. He wobbled, concerned for his prizes.**

**"_Ignore the trophies!" _Kammy screeched. "_He's getting back up!"_**

**"But they're all first place!" whined Bowser.**

**He had missed one trophy. It was a small one which had been specialized to look like Bowser. It fell and snapped. The miniature head rolled to Bowser's foot.**

**"Wha-wha-wha-" Bowser bent down to the head and cupped it in the orange clawed hands that had won it. The rest of the trophies plummeted from their unstable resting places. A few more broke. **

**"This... was my FAVORITE ONE!" Bowser got up and roared in fury. "YOU WILL REGRET THIS, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE HOOK-BILLED FREAK!" **

**Kammy's eyes widened. "Uhh... I didn't know His Surliness was so dedicated to bowling."**

**Bowser Jr. whispered back, "Well, he has to do _something _during the time he's not trying to take over the world."**

**Bowser grabbed Hookbill by his fat neck and slammed him hard against the wall. The King's mouth opened, and along with a long and deep exhale, fire streamed out. It cooked the giant Koopa until he was entirely black. Hookbill toppled to the ground and fainted.**

**"You go, Papa!" cheered Bowser Jr. **

**Bowser wasn't listening. He was sitting miserably in a corner, bottom lip trembling. He was putting the two pieces of the mini-Bowser trophy together again and again, expecting them to magically fuse. The misery almost loomed over his head in a dark rain cloud.**

**"Uh, maybe we should just leave him alone for now," said Kammy.**

**Peach and Toadsworth got back from the Mushroom Mall, carrying bags and bags of mostly useless junk out from the royal limousine. Most of it, of course, was the woman's. **

**"So, that was fun," Peach said, smiling. "I got plenty of new clothes to try on..."**

**_Which I had to carry... _thought Toadsworth.**

**"...But what I'm really looking forward to is one of the books I bought."**

**This wasn't a surprise. Peach loved to read, mostly the type of novels about some heroic hunk saving a damsel in distress and then the two going off on a wild adventure. The eldest Toad thought they were an utter yawnfest, but all the women these days in the Kingdom really liked them.**

**They reached the castle doors. Toadsworth opened one and held it for the Princess. She walked in, her shoes clicking.**

**As soon as Toadsworth came in, he dropped the bags. He looked down at them. Ah, he had the bag of books. He scanned over them. _Dark Side of the Moon, The Stargazer, Ancient Mysteries of the Mushroom Kingdom Undergrounds._**

**He sighed. Then his head performed a double-take as he looked at the last book. He hadn't remembered buying this one, and the Princess... hmm. He picked the book up and started to page through. **

**"Hey, Toadsworth!"**

**"Oh, is something wrong, Princess? Did I forget one of your bags?"**

**"No, that's the book I was really looking forward to."**

**Toadsworth was perplexed. "Er, but..." He glanced at the cover again. "The _Ancient Mysteries_ book?"**

**"Yes, that's the one. May I have it?"**

**"I thought you liked romance and adventure novels, not 'boring old history books.'" The butler gave Peach her book back. **

**"I usually don't, but I saw a special about these on television and it _really _interested me. It intrigues me even more because it's underneath the kingdom we rule over."**

**"Wow," said Toadsworth. "When you're finished, would you lend me that? I've always envied those researchers. They get to see some absolutely amazing footage. I mean,_ phenomenal_. Sure, we can see it on TV, but they..."**

**Peach walked away, reading the book and avoiding Toadsworth's rambling.**

**Out one of the castle's windows, a shadow watched, eyes on the book.**

**By night, Peach had read half of it. She went to her dresser to put it away, then laid down in her pajamas and fell fast asleep. **

**THUMP.**

**The Princess awoke, groggy. She had heard a noise from the other side of the room. "What on earth...?" She started to reach for the light switch.**

**Her door creaked. Footsteps in the hallway.**

**Peach was nervous now, and drew back from the switch. Were there thieves in the castle? How could they get in so easily? Or maybe she was being stupid. It could have just been a Toad doing night housekeeping. Whatever the case, she went back to sleep in a flash. **

**The next morning, Peach went downstairs to have a bite of breakfast and watch _Good Morning Mushroom Kingdom. _Toadsworth and a few multicolored Toads were bustling about the kitchen, frying eggs and toasting bread. **

**"Good morning, Princess," they all said in unison, turning from their jobs.**

**"Umm... morning."**

**They went back to doing what they had been before except for Toadsworth, who came over to Peach to give her pancakes. "Sleep well?" he asked.**

**"Y-yeah, apart from when someone came into my room." Peach rubbed her eyes, hoping the eldest Toad would say something like, _Oh, that was just me making sure everything was ship-shape._**

**But he did not. "Someone... in your room? That's very odd. Yesterday was the day all Toads took a break from night housekeeping."**

**The Princess froze. "Then... who...?" She rushed upstairs again to confirm that there were no thieves. After a bit of looking around, she had found nothing missing. **

**She examined the last place, the dresser. Everything was all rig- **

**"Where's my book?" cried Peach. **

**TRICKY THIEVES/END**

**Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed that chapter. I wish more people would review, but I don't like to beg for reviews, ya know what I mean? It makes me more pathetic when I just go right out and say, "Hey, review my story! I want to know if I'm any good or not!" So, take your time reviewing. You catch my drift? COUGH_REVIEW_COUGH Sorry, a little cigarette smoke's in the air. I don't like secondhand smoke, so I'm leaving. Over and out.**

**-SesshouMario**


	4. Terrifying Tales Told

**Chapter Four**

**Terrifying Tales Told**

_**The Mushroom Times**_

**Fire Flower 14**

**Princess Peach Robbed?**

**MUSHROOM CASTLE, MUSHROOM KINGDOM- Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom knows that there is quite a bit of crime in this fair land of ours. There is no denying it: we are constantly saved by those masterful superheroes, the Super Mario Brothers. But putting those compliments to the champions aside, a question has arisen in the throats of our citizens: is the Mushroom Kingdom becoming a crime center? Stories like this one just may prove it. **

**Two nights ago, Princess Toadstool, better known as simply "Peach", was robbed. Yes, the adorable, brave leader of the kingdom had one of her possessions stolen. **

**It was Fire Flower 12, four o' clock in the afternoon. Peach had just returned from a Mushroom Mall shopping spree. After putting the items away, the princess went to read her new book: _Ancient Mysteries of the Mushroom Kingdom Undergrounds, _by Harold P. Frankly. She read it up until that night. While she was in a deep slumber, she heard noises coming from her room and then into the hallway. **

**"There were strange voices... and footsteps," Toadstool told us during our interview. She said that she could not get up and turn on the light; the thieves had left quickly. Authorities find this extremely odd; not only what they stole was strange, but also how it was done.**

**All that was stolen was the Princess' new book: yes, a fifty-coin nonfiction book that could have been purchased at the local bookstore or more effortlessly stolen from a common Mushroomian's home. Nevertheless, the thieves chose Princess Peach to snag a copy from. **

**The other issue brought up by the inspectors of the crime was that it was done in an extremely meticulous manner. Everything was in perfect condition apart from the missing book. Normally, a place would have to be ransacked to find something as small as Frankly's slim volume. But the Mushroom Castle was not. **

**The Yoshi Police are still investigating the scene, looking for a bit of evidence. They have found none: not even a trace of a footstep or fingerprint. Were these criminals using some sort of a technological way to avoid being caught? How could this could have been executed so perfectly? The answers may come soon; stay tuned to the _Mushroom Times _for the latest news on this eerie tale.**

**Kammy Koopa stared in disbelief at the front page of what used to be her favorite paper. She read over the article numerous times. No, it wasn't the _Mushroom Times' _corny self-advertising at the bottom that had alarmed her; maybe it was the fact that she had known nothing about this misdemeanor. **

**She knew that the news of this should have reached her ears long before it happened. The Mario—hating villains all shared a somewhat twisted bond, and told each other their separate plans before going and doing something. And the Koopas, the skilled masters at the top of the heap who knew almost every Mario secret... Every act of badness reached their eardrums first. Anything with a hint of unscrupulousness would snake its way into their brain before anyone else's besides the plan-maker's. So why hadn't she heard about it? It was simply baffling, especially because the party was two days away. Who would have been stupid enough to try something like this after they had heard about Bowser's breathtakingly wondrous plan?**

**Her master thumped into the kitchen, groggy—eyed. He rubbed his bloodshot peepers and yawned. He then proceeded to get out the X-Treme Koopa Koffee Maker. **

**"Lord Bowser, look at the front cover of the newspaper," Kammy said, still in a stupor from what she had read.**

**Bowser, ignoring her temporarily, slammed the coffee maker down and went to get the Chuckle Coffee beans (15) from the cabinet. "Uggghhh... I'll be there in just a second, Kam," he groaned.**

**"What's with you? Didn't sleep well?"**

**Bowser yawned again. His gaping maw seemed to reach to the ceiling and floor simultaneously. "No way. How am I supposed to sleep with all this expectation building up inside of me?" **

**"Well, I think you should see this, Your Cruelness. I find it quite interesting."**

**After Kammy's master had gotten the coffee machine up and running, he trudged over to read the newspaper. Scanning it, he shrugged and went back to preparing breakfast. Kammy had a look of utter disbelief plastered on her face.**

"**Sir, did you _read_ that correctly?"**

**"Yeah, what's the big deal about that?"**

**"Uh... It's a _very_ big deal. This isn't a regular occurrence, you know."**

**"Sure it is. It happens all the time."**

**"What? Do you even know what you're saying?" **

**"Mm-hmm. I don't really see why this comes as a shock to you."**

**"I have no clue what you're talking about!"**

**"Don't you watch television? It's on TV practically every day!"**

**"Duh, I watch TV. But I've never heard of _this _before."**

**"Then pay attention to what you're watching from now on."**

**"Why wouldn't I pay attention?"**

**"...Oh, how can I say this? Er—here we go... you're a crusty old hag. Yep. That's right."**

**"HOW DARE YOU? AND JUST WHAT IN A SHYGUY'S BUTT DOES BEING OLDER HAVE TO DO WITH PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TELEVISION?"**

**"Being '_older_' is not what you are, Kam. Let's face it, you're not just old, you're already on the brink of death."**

**"Wha- _shut up and answer my question!"_**

**"Oh, alright. What does being old have to do with television? You ever see those super wrinkly fat ladies in nursing homes watch TV? They fall asleep, drooling all over themselves, glasses on their chests, snoring like wild beasts..."**

**"_YOU THINK I DO _THAT_?" _Kammy got off her stool, stomped over to Bowser, and poked her slender finger into his chest. "I pay near PERFECT attention to the TV, and in my... my _many _years of living, I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A SINGLE THING LIKE THIS BEFORE!"**

**Bowser edged away. "Well, I'm sorry that you slept through all the days that the Koopa Krushers lost."**

**Kammy whipped her finger into the air. "SEE, I HAVE NE– the... Koopa **

**Krushers...?"**

**"Yeah, our baseball team. They always lose. How could you have never heard of that before?"**

**"Uh... oh. Wait, what? Didn't you read the front headline?" She realized the misunderstanding. **

**Bowser waved his hand through the air as if to say _naaah. _"No, I usually read the sports scores and comics first. The good stuff, you know."**

**Kammy buried her face in her hands. What kind of a king read the comics first! Oh, right. Bowser. "Well, I think you'll actually find this headline especially interesting." **

**Bowser didn't look convinced. "Let me see that," he said, snatching the paper. After a quick look, it dawned on him, and his face looked as if a meteor had fallen and smashed him across the face. "What the— Princess Peach ROBBED? Who did this? I never heard of this!" He went into an angry rant.**

**"So you didn't know about this, Your Growliness?" **

**"Of course not! Who did this? No one in the Kingdom gets away with an act of evilness without MY say—so!" He was positively infuriated. **

**Then another meteor came down, this time hitting Kammy. She had a revelation. "Waaaait a second. Our castle was robbed too. I wonder if it was the same guys?"**

**Bowser's eyebrows raised. "Hmm... no, I don't think so. It says here that these dudes did it super careful. That's not what the guys who hit our place did, that's for sure." **

**Kammy crossed her arms, thinking hard. "Did you find anything missing, though?" she asked. **

**"Oh, that's right!"**

**"What?" **

**"I forgot to recheck the scene of the crime. Um... you know, because of..." Bowser's lower lip quivered. **

**"Yes, yes," Kammy said swiftly. "I know. We should go check, though. Maybe something else was stolen that we could trace to these thieves."**

** And so they headed downstairs to look. **

**Mario and Luigi were concerned. After reading the newspaper article that morning, they wanted to help Princess Peach and the Yoshi Police investigate. They decided to go to her castle and help out for a while. So, they took a pipe to the Mushroom Castle and ran up to the entrance. The door was opened, surrounded by CAUTION! signs. A red Yoshi took notice to them. He walked over, an irritated look on his face.**

**"Hey, who are you? You're not supposed to be on the castle premises at this time. I know every Bob and Joe in town wants to make sure that their princess is all right, but I don't want riffraff all day long. Go home, bubbas."**

**Mario was flabbergasted. "Bubbas? Riffraff? Wait-a, do you know-a who you're talking to?" **

**"I don't give a hoot if you're the president of the Peach Fan Club," said the Yoshi. "I'm not letting you in. Now please–-"**

**He was interrupted. The Mario brothers' Yoshi friend, a green Yoshi called simply "Yoshi," had spotted his red relative giving his friends trouble and said, "Let me take over from here, rookie." **

**The red rookie backed away. "Yes, sir."**

**Yoshi ushered the siblings inside, whispering, "Sorry for the trouble."**

**Luigi nodded, then noticed the blue cap on his dinosaur friend's head. "Wait, since when are you a member of the Yoshi Police?" he asked. "And how long have you been doing it for, calling someone a rookie?"**

**Yoshi blushed. "Quite some time, now," he said. "I love doing this."**

**Mario patted his buddy's shoulder. "That's awesome! Congratulations! But why didn't you tell us?" **

**"Well, you know—"**

**The green dino was cut short. Peach squealed with delight as soon as she had seen the red-and-green clothed men. "Hey, Mario! Hi, Luigi! What are you doing here?" **

**Before speaking, Mario took off his hat and bowed. Luigi followed suit. Then the older brother spoke.**

**"Well-a, we were worried that maybe-a something really important was stolen, or-a you might be in danger of another thievery. So we came-a by."**

**"Aww, how thoughtful of you," the princess said. "I think I have more help than I actually need, though." She gazed around at the dozens of Yoshi officers and laughed. "Come on upstairs into the kitchen for some cookies."**

**Mario was surprised. The Princess certainly didn't seem to be even a little bit bothered by her experience. Cookies? This was strange. He voiced his opinion. **

**"So, you-a seem rather unfazed about the break-in."**

**Peach shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. Yes, I admit, I was creeped out all over, but since a book was taken and that's all, well... Who cares?"**

**Mario held the door opened for Peach as they prepared to climb a staircase to the next floor. **

**Luigi made sure to change the subject past the obvious. "How's Toadsworth doing?"**

**Peach unintentionally brought back the previous topic. "Oh, paranoid as usual. He won't talk about anything but what happened two days ago! Isn't that just like him?" She beamed. **

**Neither brother said anything. They reached the kitchen, where Toadsworth was reading a book at the coffee table. He looked up at the sound of the door clicking and lowered his glasses to see who it was.**

**"Ah, how delightful! Thank you so very much for coming, Master Mario and Master Luigi. You know how much it means to me in perilous times like these."**

**The Princess rolled her eyes. "'Perilous times?_' _Oh for heavens' sake, Toadsworth, it was only a book." She started towards the oven.**

**Mario and Luigi sat down in front of the Toad butler. They waited anxiously to find out what type of delicious morsels they were getting from the Princess today.**

**Peach removed a tray of cookies (heart-shaped sprinkle cookies: _How typical, _thought Toadsworth) out and laid them on a cooling rack one by one. "I'll buy another book, no problem. That's all I have to do." She finished placing her treats out and went to close the oven door.**

**"Hey, Peach," Mario called, "I wanted to ask you something. Why-a did you pick that particular book out?"**

**Peach replied, "Oh, like I told Toadsworth, the study of our kingdom's history really interests me. Professor Frankly is such a darling when it comes to writing nonfiction." She took off her oven mitts and plopped down next to her steward. "But besides all this, how are you doing?"**

**Mario smiled. "Well, did-a you read the paper a few days ago?"**

**Toadsworth nearly jumped a foot in the air, and immediately started clapping his hands. "Oh ho, I jolly well know I did! I should be ashamed not to applaud your actions earlier. It was amazing how well you did in a situation like that."**

** "Yeah, that was really cool. I know I'm glad not to be captured again, but I wish I had been there to see that! You guys really kicked butt that time!" Peach pumped her fist in a spunky cheer. **

**"Well, it was all thanks to Mario's—er—_explosive _idea," Luigi joked.**

**They all shared a good laugh. Mario paused for a moment and looked around him: the Princess' castle, how the memories flowed back. Memories called _Saving Peach. Bringing her back. Saving Peach. Bringing her back. _He wished they could share friendly conversation like this much more often. He didn't care if he had to save the Kingdom time and time again, as this was his job (and a fun one at that), but he just wished the Princess could stay in one place without getting snatched up by every scoundrel in sight. **

**"I could have sworn that you had seriously beaten Cackletta and Fawful the first time around," mentioned Toadsworth. "But, alas, no one ever gives up here in the Kingdom. They always find a way to bounce right back up."**

**Luigi agreed. "Yeah, that's right," he said, "just look at Bowser. How many times is he going to go through with capturing Princess Peach before he just gives up?" **

**Peach shook her head. "Shameful, he is, really. He's not one to be too intelligent in trying to stop _you, _Mario." **

**"Hey, maybe this-a whole world-ruling thing isn't what he wants. Maybe he just has a crush on you," Mario said. **

**Peach mulled over the thought. She came to her deduction with a revolted face. "Eeech. If that's what it is, then I'm _really _going to try to avoid getting captured." **

**Everyone chuckled again. The timer for the cookies to cool went off with a buzz, and the Princess excused herself to retrieve the goodies.**

**Once she returned, Luigi grabbed a cookie and began to munch on it. "So, uh, as Mario said before, we just came over to check up on everything. D'you want any help?" **

**Peach started to say that they needn't do anything, but Toadsworth stopped her. "If you would be so kind as to help, I would appreciate it. But I think you'd need a keen eye to catch anything the police have not. They've been investigating for almost a day already."**

**Peach said, "And I for one think it's _totally_ unnecessary."**

**"Why's that?" asked Mario. **

**"What difference does it make? I mean, I'm just a regular person, and someone took a book from me! Why does everyone have to be so crazy about everything?"**

**Mario walked over to Peach and put his arm around her. (This was rather difficult, and Peach had to lower herself a bit to help Mario reach.) "Listen, Peach. Let-a me tell you something. You're a princess. Everyone in the Kingdom knows-a you, and they all want-a you to be safe. Royalty has to be one of the most-a secure things. No one wants anything bad-a to happen to the best ruler this kingdom's ever had, especially me." He squeezed her shoulder. **

**A cloud of cherry coloring swarmed to the Princess's face. She looked away for a second, her face reddening crazily. Toadsworth noticed this, and smirked behind his napkin. _Ah, this is finally getting good, _he thought. Luigi just grinned. **

**Peach turned back to Mario. "You- you think I'm... the best ruler?" she asked. **

**Mario shook his head yes. "Yeah, of course. You may get into some sticky situations sometimes, I mean, _really _sticky—" Peach giggled, "but you have a kind heart and let everyone have a chance to be happy under your rule, and that's-a what matters."**

**While Luigi wondered if his brother had read _100 Super-Sappy Ways to Get a Princess to Love You_, Princess Peach bent down and kissed Mario on the nose. **

**"You're so sweet, Mario... and..." She stopped dead. **

**They all waited eagerly. **

**"And... I promise that someday... I will be able to stand up for myself without your help... for you. You need a break once in a while, too."**

**Mario patted Peach's shoulder. "Thank you. I would like that... a lot." **

**_And not just to get a break..._**

**As much as Toadsworth hated to shatter moments like these, he knew it was practically over and time for the superstar brothers to help out downstairs. "I'm glad you two get along so well. But I think I heard Yoshi call for you." **

**Mario took his arm off the Princess and nodded. "All right. Let's-a go, Luigi! Oh, and thank-a you for the cookies, Princess." He turned and waved as Luigi got out of his chair. The duo left. **

**Peach was occupying herself by staring at a painting on the wall. She was blushing no more, simply thinking. **

**Toadsworth spoke behind his book, "You two were made for each other. I'm not kidding."**

**Peach didn't make a comeback comment. "I... I think you're right," she said. "I really think you're right."**

**"Your father would be so proud to see her daughter get a man like Master Mario." **

**"My father...? You think so?" Peach asked shyly. **

**Toadsworth was sure he would be. He was a man who wanted his daughter to marry someone who knew about feelings. It was sad, though, about the Mushroom King; Peach had never really got to know her father as a mature person. He had vanished mysteriously when the Princess was just a child, and shortly after that, the Queen disappeared as well. Without a trace, just as the book had been stolen from her, so had Peach's parents. Toadsworth had taken guardianship of her when she was five and raised her up to be what she was. **

**"Yes, I know he would be happy. He would be happy to know that you're safe and loved." **

**There was silence for a while, and Toadsworth continued to read while Peach just wondered about some things of the past.**

**_I wish I could have grown up knowing my parents. Sure, I remember how good and nice they were when I was a little kid, but today I would actually be able to share some intelligent conversation with them. About the kingdom and its history. About anything!_**

**Peach looked at her feet. Something, besides not being able to talk with her father and mother, was really bothering her. She came to Toadsworth's side. **

**"Um, Toadsworth... I need to talk to you..." **

**Toadsworth put his book down. "About what? Master Mario? Your parents?" **

**"Yes, my parents... well, yes and no. I would like to do it in a very private place, though. I've never shared what I'm about to tell you with anyone."**

**The eldest Toad looked down. "Er... all right. I'm not sure I know what you're going at, but I swear, you probably won't be able to get any answers out of me." **

**Without another word, the princess and her butler walked up another flight of stairs to the third floor. Into a room they went, the lock clicking behind them. **

**They were in the clock room, the room that Peach's father had left his collection of about fifty clocks in; all set to about the exact same time, all ticking and clicking in order. It was a relaxing place to be. After mustering enough strength, Peach decided to try her luck with a question. **

**"Toadsworth... do you know anything about Mushroomia?" **

**"Er... why do you ask, Princess?" **

**Should she tell him? "I... I bought that book... because I think there's a link between my parents' disappearance and the old Mushroom Kingdom." **

**"A link?"**

**"Yes."**

**Toadsworth started pacing. "I don't know what to say. What do you want me to say? I know about Mushroomia, of course, but I don't see what link you could find between that place and your _parents_. Where would you get an idea like that?"**

**A secret of Peach's that had to be revealed. She began with, "You know about the Shadow Queen."**

**"Why yes, of course. That was the demon that destroyed Mushroomia in the first place with the Great Shadow Cataclysm. She had no heart inside her to care about anyone but herself. What about her?" **

**"She... when she..."**

**"When she what?" **

**"When she possessed me... I could talk to her..." **

**Toadsworth's eyes widened. "You could _what? _You mean, you could just communicate with her within the same body?" **

**"It wasn't actually talking, it was like telepathy. We could talk to each other by thinking. And I asked her if she knew about..."**

**Mario was fighting the Shadow Queen as best he could, but he was scared to even attack her at all. He wasn't just battling with the Queen herself, but Peach's body as well. If he did too much damage, the Princess could die. **

**"PATHETIC MORTALS!" roared the Queen. "YOU SHALL PERISH FOR EVEN _TRYING_ TO DEFY ME!"**

**Shadowy, blue hands of the dead exploded onto the arena, crawling towards Mario and his partner. Moaning echoed through the dark room, flickering the azure flames of the candles lining the walls. **

**"LOOK OUT, MARIO!" Koops yelled. **

**But it was too late. The hands snatched Mario up and dragged him down, whaling on him with agonizing attacks. Koops tried to pull his friend out of the tangle of shadowy death, but it was no use. They wouldn't stop. They groaned, torturing the poor plumber. **

**Peach was so confused. She was jerking in and out of awareness, and she tried desperately to help Mario. She could feel the Shadow's heavy, gravelly breaths. **

**_Stop, please, Queen... _she thought. **

**The Shadow Queen was startled and distracted by Peach's mental cry and the hands let up attacking the red-clothed plumber. He got to his feet and cried, "I'm-a coming, Peach! Don't worry!"**

**_How could this be possible? You cannot be conscious after being possessed by my magic, you fool! Die, and let me destroy your precious plumber..._**

**The Shadow Queen's voice vibrated loudly. Peach cried out from the pain it caused her, starting to cry. **

**_Why are you doing this? WHY ARE YOU HURTING MARIO?_**

_**Because, that plumber is the only one standing in my way from getting the Shadow Empire to rule this world! **_

_**What will you do...? What...**_

_**I shall create another cataclysm and destroy YOUR Mushroom Kingdom as well!**_

_**My Mushroom... what are you...?**_

**Pain seized Peach. She screamed again, it hurt SO BADLY!**

**_I destroyed the first Mushroomia, and I shall destroy the one your pathetic father and your other ancestors created, as well! NOW STOP TALKING! You are ruining my plans for success! STOP!_**

_**My... father...? What did you do to him...? What did you do to my mother?**_

_**None of your beeswax. Your father was a nosy little runt, a moron always looking for answers. He and your mother, they thought they could find Mushroomia and stop the Shadow Empire from attacking during the thousand-year anniversary!**_

_**My parents knew about the Shadow Empire? Wh- wh- why would they- I don't understand... what did you do to them?**_

_**SHUT UP! I CAN STAND YOUR INCESSANT SOBBING NO LONGER!**_

**Peach could not struggle to speak with the Queen now. She was so tired... she was falling... falling... falling...**

**The Princess ended her story there. **

**Toadsworth's mouth was wide open. He had to close his jaw manually with his hand. "That's simply amazing," he gasped. "I can hardly believe it."**

**"Please believe me!" cried out Peach. "I can't trust anyone else, not even Mario yet! Please believe me!"**

**"No, no, don't overreact," said Toadsworth. "I believe you. I just have a hard time believing that your father never told me he was researching Mushroomia."**

**On a much more sarcastic level, Peach retorted, "You can't? Mr. Paranoia himself would have told my father 'No! It's too dangerous! You'll get yourself killed!' and rambled on about the dangers of the undergrounds."**

**Toadsworth smiled sheepishly. "Well, I always try to keep everyone safe. Sorry, I guess I do go on for a while."**

**"Anyway, I think that my father was the one that discovered Mushroomia underneath Rogueport. But when he and my mother started to research it more in depth, and went down there... something happened to them." **

**"Yes, I think you're right. That would explain your father's 'secret meetings' he told me he had to go to. But it's weird... there were no rumors about the King and Queen's—er, your parents'— disappearance."**

**"Maybe... maybe that's because _no one besides them _knew what they were doing."**

**"Anyhoo, that must be where your father got the Mushroom Pendant you wear around your neck in the castle." Toadsworth had remembered the Mushroom King giving his daughter the pendant. It was a red necklace with a sphere at the end. On the sphere was what he had always thought was an ancient Mushroomian symbol. **

**"Um... no, that's not where he told me he..." Peach stopped to look down at the pendant. Only there was one tiny problem: it wasn't there. "Wh– where is it?"**

**Toadsworth eyed Princess Peach's neck. "What! You don't have it? Princess, what could you have done with it?"**

**Peach frantically spun around in a circle, looking all over her body for it. It was nowhere to be found.**

**"Princess, this isn't good at all!" **

**Peach was on the verge of tears. "No kidding!" she cried. **

**"No, you don't understand! The day your father gave that to you, he said to make sure you kept it completely safe. He told me that if you lost it, there could be dire concequences!"**

**Suddenly, Peach's face blanched to a sickly white. "I... I know where I put the pendant."**

**"Where, Princess, where?"**

**"I... I put it... in that book..." She exploded into uncontrollable sobbing.**

**Magik sat at home, holding a book but not reading it or even looking at the pages. She was focusing on the clock. She couldn't wait: the boy that she had met two days ago, named Ushi, was coming over. His parents had decided that she was a kind woman and would make a wonderful babysitter. They had played together for the last two days all the time. **

**She loved this kid so much; he was the one that she had been looking for. Someone totally innocent that she could confide in, someone kind and compassionate. **

**The doorbell rang. Ushi's parents were at the door. **

**"Hello," said Ushi's mother, "we just came by to drop our son off, of course. C'mon, Ushi!" **

**The little seven-year-old, dressed in a blue T-shirt, Bloopa the Koopa shorts, and sandals walked in. He hugged Magik tightly. **

**"Hi, Magik! I have so much stuff I wanna do with you today! We're gonna have tons and tons of fun!"**

**Ushi's father mouthed _We'll pick him up at six. _The door closed behind them. Alone at last. **

**Magik bent down to Ushi. "So, what're we doing today, little guy?" **

**Ushi grinned toothily. "There's lotsa stuff I wanna do, but I can't decide what first. Hmm, I have to think."**

**He toddled into the kitchen. "Ooh, I know! First, I want somethin' to eat." **

**Magik opened the refrigerator, the little child at her rear. "Sure, why not? What d'you want?"**

**Ushi put his finger to his mouth, thinking. "Ah, I know! I want FRIED MAGIKOOPA, SUCKER!" Black snakes sprayed from his finger and entangled Magik, binding her to the fridge.**

**"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Magik screamed. "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?" She squirmed to get free.**

**Ushi laughed. He took something out of each pocket and held his hands closed. "I love you, Magik. I really do. Because you're a _mentally unstable dork!"_**

**Magik quit struggling. "What? Why would you say that? You're... my only friend..."**

**The little kid snickered. "It's a saaaaad, saaaaad day when an adult has only one person, a freakin' _seven year old, to have as a friend!"_**

**"Why are you doing this to me? What's going on?" Magik was helpless. The snakes began to engulf her at a faster rate since she had stopped moving. **

**"I really love you, Magik, because mentally unstable morons like you are super-easy to hypnotize," said Ushi. He opened his hands to reveal two pendants: one red with a Mushroomian symbol, one orange with a Koopa symbol. The child spun them around by the strings, chuckling. "Thank you soooo very much for letting me take advantage of you to get these. Now I can finally fufill my mother's wishes. But I have to get rid of you first."**

**Ushi began to change. His body grew larger and larger until he was an older boy, around eleven. He wasn't wearing a shirt: creepy metallic armor partically covered his chest and ran all the way down to the bottom of his legs. His black hair was facing in the opposite direction, as if it had been gelled back. The Ushi-thing laughed maniacally as the snakes coiled around Magik even tighter, choking her. She screamed in pain before she was totally covered.**

**TERRIFYING TALES TOLD/END**

**Author's notes: This is the best chapter yet submitted, because it finally reveals the plot! Well, I have a good amount of reviews now. That doesn't mean I'm not still looking for them, but... okay. I'll shut up now. He he. The romance is finally started! Oh, but... It might take me a while to get Ch. 5 up... Sorry. **


	5. Nasty's New Name

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter; I'm getting to be really slow! He he he... but I'll be able to write a lot more in the summer, so these stinkin' updates will come a lot faster. But anyway, this is my most well-liked chapter so far (by friends) and I think it's a cool, subtly dark, addition to this story. I don't want to leave the Mushroom Kingdom, however, so all characters will stay in character and we'll continue to meet familiar friends. I'm having a hell of a fun time writing this, and I hope you have a hell of a fun time reading it. Let's go.**

**Chapter Five**

**Nasty's New Name**

**Magik was being completely consumed by the clump of snakes, screeching at the top of her lungs. She couldn't move a muscle underneath the tremendous weight. How was she going to get out of this one? The Magikoopa calmed herself down (miraculously) and began to think, but all that went through her mind was how much she had taken air for granted.**

**The boy in the dark armor simply walked away, chuckling. How simple it had been to take over her mind and get the Pendants for his mother's master plan. Magik was so corrupt, so _messed up, _that she didn't even put up a fight. Now all that was left was to return to the burial chamber and... ah, what was the rush? He had all the time in the world. He was only thirteen, why not do something fun?**

**The "Ushi" boy sat down on Magik's couch and kicked his feet up on the foot rest. Clicker in hand, he pressed POWER. **

**As he flipped through the channels, Magik was feeling much lighter in her little "bed" of snakes. Woah, was she dying? No. What in Snowman's Land was happening? She squinted with what little light she had and— wait, _light? _Wasn't she completely covered? Her question was answered as she saw a snake disappear with a "pop!" Her lungs automatically opened, sending her great gasping breaths of air. Soon, all the snakes were popping around her until there were none left. Her buttocks hit the ground and she immediately smiled. It was obvious. Magik's attacker was just a young'un, and he probably didn't have enough magic to keep her there for more than a minute or so. **

**She got up and peered around the corner. Even though she realized he was weak, looking at him still gave Magik the heebie-jeebies. He had an aura of evil that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He hadn't been sent there by any of the villains she knew. But it didn't matter. **

**The red-robed witch watched the boy for a while. After a bit of this, she realized that she was making too big a deal of it. For one thing, his magic stunk, and for another, after he had nearly killed someone he stayed in their house to watch Toad Force V! "Ushi" was just a kid, and Magik had this in mind as she walked over to him with a frying pan and smashed him on the head repeatedly. **

**Magik was satisfied. She had done very well in conking the boy out without killing him. Little brat, all smug because he made a few lousy snakes. It felt so great to suspend him in a cramped cage in midair, and it would feel even better to tell him that she would cook him in her soup. She couldn't wait to see the look on the boy's face!**

**But before she did any cruel torturing, she 1. Had to call the Yoshi Police and 2. Think about what was going on. **

**...Because what _was _going on? The one in the yellow cage seemed like a normal Mushroomian, but since he had easily disguised himself, he could also easily have done the same with the form he was in now. Maybe he was a Magikoopa, but maybe he wasn't. Judging by the way he sat down to watch a little TV, she guessed he wasn't. **

**And there were more things bothering her. What was the boy talking about, telling her about his "magic pendants?" She now had them laying on her kitchen counter. They certainly were gorgeous, but Magik knew they had been stolen from someone and had to be given back. Oh well. **

**"Oh, I forgot completely!" Magik spoke aloud. She had failed to remember to get the newspaper that day. Eying the cage before she left, Magik went out to complete her undone task. _It might be a wait before the police get here after I call them, so I might as well get something to occupy myself _before_ I call them. _**

**She walked briskly down her driveway to the end. As soon as she opened her crimson mailbox, her stomach lurched. Naturally, she had seen the headline, P_rincess Peach Robbed,_ and thought the worst: _Did that kid steal those pendants from Princess Peach? _She bolted back to her house, dropping the newspaper along the way. **

**And, also naturally, once she got inside, she was too late. The cage was opened and the pendants were gone. Where the pendants used to be, Creepy-Armor-Boy had left his best friend a quickly scrawled note.**

**Dear Magik:**

**Thanks for the good time in the cage, but thanks more for the pendants! I'll be more careful next time when I see an old lady with a frying pan! ;) See ya later!**

**Your friend, **

**Ushi**

**"Oh, no." Magik clenched the note in her hand, crumpling it up. Why did she have to get caught in the middle of this and _why _was she stupid enough to go out to get the paper? She flopped over into her chair. Everything was so weird. They were just pendants! What could be so special about those? All she knew was that she had been fooled once by Ushi, or whoever he was, and he might have some more tricks up his sleeve. **

**"Lord Bowser, can we _please _take a break?" Kammy had simply had enough of shifting through the Koopa vault. It was a total craphole. The old witch had begun to think that her master saved every single stupid old thing in here which held even the slightest memory. For cripes' sake, she had found the remains of an egg salad sandwich laying around, mold eating away at the former eggs (which were now grey lumps of bubbling fat). It was pure torture.**

**"Kammy, we're not stopping until I find something missing."**

**Kammy was incredulous. "Well, we still should rest! I mean, there's not going to be a sign that says 'HEY BOWSER! _THIS_ HAS GONE MISSING!' It's going to be a matter of time before we remember having something we don't anymore."**

**"Well, fine," Bowser said, shrugging, "if _you_ want to, that's fine with me. But I'm staying down here."**

**"All right, I'll come back later." Kammy began to climb the stairs to the first floor. _What possibly could have diappeared? _she thought. _What old piece of useless junk did the thieves want? I don't think Bowser has ever had anything particularly valuable._**

**The seemingly infinite stairs ended. A Koopa guard moved out of Kammy's way when she reached the door, proudly saying, "All Hail the Koopa King!" and saluting her. **

**"Shut up, already," Kammy grunted under her breath._ Rookies. Feh. They won't be so thrilled when they find out just how obnoxious King Bowser really is. _**

**She had reached the relaxation room, the only room that could be considered even a tad comforting to most people. It was still dark, cold, and made of stone like the other rooms, but it seemed more like an actual home here than any of those. There was a television and a couch, which Kammy used to rest her aching back. **

**As she went through the door, she heard noises at her left. Oh, wonderful. Cartoony noises. _B-Junior must be watching something on TV. I really wanted to watch Skinny Up Yo' Belly for Old but Sexy Gals, but I guess I can't now. Aww, crud. That Kooparmie really is a hunk-_**

**"You cannot stop me, for I am Jack, owner of TOAD FORCE V!"**

**Kammy's thoughts were interrupted by a badly voice-acted boy. Bowser Jr. was reclining on the orange rug, watching a Toadlike robot go into a cool pose and then start shooting at another Goomba-shaped one. He was playing with his action figure (a replica of the Toad robot) and making his own cartoon noises. **

**"How's it going, B-Junior?" **

**Bowser's son gave a little yelp and then turned around with a jolt. "Oh, h-hi, Aunt Kammy..." **

**Kammy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, little guy? You almost jumped a foot in the air."**

**"No... I'm all right." His eyes were shifty, but Kammy suspected it was not simply because he wanted to get back to Toad Force V. **

**"_Sure_ everything's all right?" She was sure that everything was most definitely NOT right. Bowser Jr. was still biting his lip and poking his index fingers together anxiously. He was hiding something.**

**"Wuh... erm, well, I just... um... had a scary dream last night... little jumpy today, ya know..." **

**Yep, he was undeniably hiding something.**

**"Scary dream? What kind?" **

**"Uhhh... that... well... Hookbill came back and ate me! I thought you were him just now... and now I'm all relieved... and all..." He made terribly done panting noises as if he was reasurred that Kammy wasn't the gigantic monster Koopa. **

**"Oh. Okay... I'm going to go order some lunch." Though Kammy knew he was lying through his teeth, it had dealt a blow to her self esteem that Bowser's son had said he had mistaken _her _for the drooling beast, Hookbill. _Am I really THAT ugly? Naaaaw. I came in from the back, he must have meant he mistook the _sounds _I made for Hookbill, not _me _myself. Phew, that's a relief._**

**The cartoon noises continued in the background as Kammy dia;ed the number for Super Speedy Salvo Slime's Pizza: _1-8-0-0-E-A-T-S-L-I-M-E._**

**Booooooop. Boooooooop. As the dial tone rang, Kammy noticed that Bowser Jr. had begun to pace, now twiddling his thumbs. At the fifth ring, he saw that she was watching and flung her a nervous smile. And then:**

**"Thuper Thpeedy Thalvo Thime'th Pitha, thith ith Hermie." Kammy could almost feel the spit on her ear from the lisp of the guy on the other line. She cringed.**

**"Uh, yeah. I'll have three mega-slime size pizzas with the works, please."**

**"Three mega-thlime thithe pithas with the workth? To what rethidenthie ith thith pitha going to?"**

**Kammy's right eye twitched. "That- AHEM- residency would be Thirteen Bowser Lane."**

**"Thirteen Bowther Lane? All right. Thank you, your pithas will be thare in a flath. Remember, Thpeedy Thalvo'th ith the-"**

**Kammy slammed the phone down. Twitch. Twitchity twitch. She took a tissue and wiped her ear in spite of her good common sense. She could have SWORN she felt the spit flying at her through the phone line. What moron hired _him_ to be in charge of the phone? Sheesh!**

**Through with her neurotic duties, Kammy saw the couch in front of the TV. Empty. Oh yes, she could watch her show now. She strode towards the television, stopped by a tapping on her leg. It was Bowser Jr. **

**"Yes?"**

**"Um, Aunt Kammy? I need to, er, tell ya something." **

**"What's that? Are you still scared after your- ahem- dream?" **

**"N-no," Bowser Jr. said, shuddering. "A-actually, I was lying about that to c-c-cover up what I want to tell you." **

**Kammy crossed her arms. "Oh, really?" _No kidding, kid. You couldn't fool me if your life depended on it._**

**"Yeah. I... well, I think I know what Papa's missing."**

**"You do?" Kammy was much less sarcastic now. This was interesting. "What is it? What is it?" She practically hopped about like a bunny, she was so eager to know. **

**"Woah, hold on, I don't know how to say this... I need Papa up here..."**

**Nodding, Kammy called her master. "Hey, Bowser! get up here!"**

**Silence. He was so rude. **

**"KOOPA KING!"**

**Zero replies. **

**"YOUR MASSIVENESS?" **

**When the amount of answers she received was the same as the last two times, Kammy thought, _Does he need a hearing aid? _But then she had an idea. **

**Hiding behind the door and using her best "burly guy" voice, she yelled, "HEY, YOU! YEAH, YOU, WITH THE BIG FAT ORANGE BUTT!" **

**Her idea worked. Stomping noises exploded up the stairway and the gigantic Koopa King came roaring up. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" cried the King, his head whirling from side to side to find who insulted him.**

**Kammy smirked, walking out from her area of safety. "Hey, if it got you up here, then what does it matter?"**

**"Got me up...? What are you talking about, woman?" **

**Bowser Jr. grabbed his father's leg (he wasn't tall enough to reach any higher) and said, "Woah, calm down, Papa! I was just about to tell you and Aunt Kammy... ummmmm... something important." **

**"Something important? About what?" **

**Kammy was in a horrid and impatient mood. "He knows what's gone missing from the downstairs vault! Now, out with it, kid, so I don't have to smell that disgusting egg-salad sandwich anymore! Enough with your slow stalling!"**

**"You- you know what the thieves took? What, what?" Bowser shook his son's tiny shoulders. "WHAT?" **

**"Well, okay. I'll tell you... er... You- you know that... _pendant _you wear around your neck every day that is a family heirloom? The one you put in the vault 'cause Grandma told you to keep it safe before she died?" **

**"Yes... what about it?"**

**"That's not exactly... around your neck anymore. Or in the vault." **

**Bowser, not even looking down, slapped his hands randomly around his chubby neck to find the necklace. It wasn't there. "OH NO! THE THIEVES TOOK MY PENDANT!"**

**He ran back and forth crazily, crying out in bursting roars. "THIS IS TERRIBLE! THAT'S THE WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN STOLEN!"**

**"Wait, stop, Your Craziness! Please just calm down!" Kammy held up her wand when Bowser was about to pass her. The wand was just high enough to reach into Bowser's mouth: so the Magikoopa wand was jerked between his open lips and partially down his throat. Well, Kammy had managed to stop the King, but not in the way that she had hoped.**

**"KAAAWKWKWKW!" Bowser choked, grabbing the handle and tugging with all his might. He was unable to pull hard enough, so Kammy and Bowser Jr. pitched in to help. Eventually, the witch's saliva-covered wand came sliding out. **

**Bowser instantaneously collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. "Whoa... I thought I was a goner... thanks, guys." **

**Kammy was thinking, but she didn't show it; her face was disgusted thanks to the partially green spit dripping off of her magical wand. She spoke her mind. **

**"Your Wickedness, I'm glad we saved you, but what were you so riled up about? It was only a family heirloom, and people usually HATE things like that. I for one thought it was kind of an ugly old thing."**

**Bowser was much more calm this time, and he gazed off into space. "Grrrrr... I'm sorry for panicking. But... that pendant was very important in the royal Koopa family. My mother gave it to me on her deathbed, saying it would eventually bring me luck in defeating the Mushroom Empire."**

**"Some job that piece of crap did."**

**Bowser wasn't angry about what Kammy had said. He mumbled, "That pendant has been in my family for over a thousand years. I've always been searching for a way to use it, and I guess I'll never get to find out what it was." **

**"A way to use it?"**

**"Nevermind. Forget I said anything. Just leave me alone for a while, okay?" Bowser walked away, his shoulders slumping. **

**Kammy watched him go. "He really is depressed about one little object, isn't he?" **

**Bowser's son shook his head. "No, that's not the entire story... I think he's sadder 'bout his mommy and daddy dying than the pendant, Aunt Kammy. Don't you miss your parents, too?"**

**Kammy couldn't say a thing. By the time she thought of a reply, her young friend had already gone. **

**_I hate blue skies. Why couldn't it have rained like before?_**

**Kamek was grumpily driving his car back from work, his briefcase thumping around in the back. What a horrible day it had been. He was worrying about Magik all the time now because she hadn't called him in a few days, and now his boss was telling him he wasn't doing a satisfactory job at scheduling appointments. If only he had been assigned to guard Bowser's Castle instead of having to get a desk job to earn coins. What a bunch of bologna this was, being a secretary for a guy who made Tanooki and Frog Suits. He was practically giving his worst enemy the powerups he needed. **

**Suddenly, he heard ugly popping from his exhaust system. He was out of Mushroom Oil. The car came to a slow stop, right in the middle of a busy street. **

**"Oh, COME ON!" exploded Kamek, kicking the gas pedal over and over in vain.**

**"Hey, move the car, little boy blue! I don't have time for your dawdling! I need to get to a gas station!" cried a voice from a car behind to Kamek. **

**"Yes, move the idiotic car which obstructs the only stupid path that we may take!" came another. **

**Kamek threw his head out the window. What IDIOTS were talking to him like that? He was going to give them a piece of his mind. Or, he would have, if the IDIOTS hadn't been Cackletta and Fawful. He got out of the car. **

**"Oh, Cackletta! Fawful! How are you?" Kamek tried to suck up to them as best he could so that they might help.**

**Cackletta and Fawful crossed their arms and grimaced. They knew Kamek, as he had been hired to help them in their first attempt to kill Mario and Luigi, but they were not in the mood for "friendly" greetings.**

**"Want the truth? Horrible," Cackletta said. "I DESPISE traffic, we are in casts from nearly being killed by Mario and Luigi, and our car is running out of gas. So how's that for an answer?" **

**Kamek replied, "Not as bad as me. I could give you the details here—" **

**"MOVE IT, UGLY GREEN WITCH WOMAN!" **

**"—But that wouldn't be a good idea. Could you give me a quick lift over to the nearest Mushroom Oil station so they could tow my car?" **

**"Sure," snapped Cackletta. "Just move your stinkin' car and get in _this _hunk of junk."**

**Kamek pushed his car to the sidewalk and got into the villains' hunk of junk. The traffic broke up after a while, and they were able to drive again. As they did so, they saw something run right in front of them. What was—**

**"IT IS A CHILD, CACKLETTA! WE MUST HAVE STOPPING!" Fawful grabbed the steering wheel and twirled it around. The vehicle took a sharp turn to the right, a tire exploding on the sidewalk when it collided. **

**The kid, who didn't even look remotely upset, walked over to the driver's window and poked his head in. He opened his mouth... and hawked up a disgusting wad of spit onto Cackletta's lap. He grinned stupidly.**

**"NYAH NYAH! SEE YOU AROUND!" **

**He jumped up, his bare feet landed on the windshield, and he started flying down the sidewalk. **

**Cackletta shoved her head out the passenger window across from an uncomfortable Fawful. "YOU LITTLE PUNK! COME BACK HERE! I OUGHTA KICK YOUR BUTT INTO SHAPE! YOU LITTLE IDIOOOOOOT!"**

**Kamek said nothing and simply watched the boy run, looking mostly at his clothes. _Those aren't normal human clothes, _he thought. _That looks like some sort of ancient armor. _**

**The boy didn't stop, and afterward, both Cackletta's AND Kamek's cars were being towed to be fixed. **

**_I will not stop. Not for anyone. I _cannot_ stop... I'll drink my own _piss_ before I let him get away with what he did to my mother! THAT MURDERER! I'LL KILL THAT STUPID PLUMBER!_**

**"No! This is NOT POSSIBLE! How could you be doing this much damage to me?" The Shadow Queen wailed in agony as Mario pounced on her body, crushing her heart. **

**A boy watched from above on a high balcony, trying to shout but unable to. **

**_Kill him, Mama! I want to rule the world with you and rid it of goody-two-shoes like this guy! Mama, don't give up!_**

**Alas, Mario depleted the bitter dregs of the Queen's strength, making her scream in pain. She flew backwards, dying... **

**But while Mario and his partners left to celebrate, the Shadow Queen floated up to her son with her last words...**

**"Scy... Scyade... I love you, son. I could not win with Mario's incredible strength. It's DISGUSTING... I'm leaving it... leaving it..." She coughed, barely able to speak. "I'm leaving it to you to destroy him and rule the world with your own Shadow Empire..."**

**Scyade cannot yell, so he quietly whispers, "Mama, how can I do that? I'm only eleven... I'm not strong at all... I can't run an empire! Not without you!"**

**"Get... the symbols... from the makings of the first ever empires in this world... Then, take them to my tomb and you... will... be able to..." Her words came to a close. She let out a few final, small coughs, then began to melt as if she were wax. Her skin dripped into the tomb she had rested in for one thousand years. Her face rolled down with it, that dripping into black and blue liquid as well. The tomb lid automatically slammed back on.**

**"Ma... ma... MAAAMAAA!" **

**Mario and Luigi were still at Princess Peach's Castle, but they weren't searching anymore. In fact, they had just finished doing said activity with Toad and the Yoshi Police and were opening the door to Peach's kitchen. Inside, Peach was crying quietly at the table, looking away from the incoming people. Toadsworth stopped them as they began to run towards her, wondering what was wrong.**

**"Um, if you would please stop... the Princess is having a stressful time right now, so she asked me to send you all downstairs. Follow through with her orders, as good citizens should do."**

**"Wait." The Princess sniffled. "Not everyone. I want to talk to Mario." **

**Mario waited for everyone to leave, closed the door, and looked from side to side. "Peach... me? Is there something serious going on?" **

**She turned around. Fresh tears glistening on her face, she nodded and said, "Yeah. I just want to tell you about it. You always help me."**

**Toadsworth, with his fatherlike instinct on its highest setting, started to follow them as they walked, but Peach told him with her back turned, "Toadsworth, please don't take offense to this, but may I... be _alone_... with Mario?" **

**Toadsworth nodded. "Yes, of course you may. I have no right to barge in on your personal business." And with that, Peach with Mario and Toadsworth went in opposite directions.**

**The Princess and Mario were in the clock room. Peach had just finished her story about the pendant getting lost; Mario, a little confused, asked a question. **

**"So... you said it was your father who gave you that pendant?"**

**"Yeah... he told me it was an important part of the history of our world," Peach said. Her face was red from crying. "He said it's been in our family since the Mushroom Empire was created." **

**"Then it must-a be over one thousand years old... wow." **

**"Yes, it is. Daddy used to tell me stories about my Mushroomian ancestors and all they had done to create the Mushroom Kingdom. They were always fun ones, like how Toadicius IV beat up the Koopa Master in a wrestling match to save his wife and regain control of the land which had been turned evil."**

**"Did all of it really happen? Or, should-a I say... ANY of it?"**

**Peach smiled for once in a few hours. "No, I think he made half of it up to amuse me. But I still loved all of those tales nonetheless. There... was one story I believed even as I got older and still do now."**

**"Um... what-a was that one about?" **

**Peach's hands found her neck temporarily, as if the item she lost was still there. "That story was about the Mushroom Pendant..."**

**Mario looked deeply into Peach's eyes. "Can you remember any of-a it?" **

**"Sure I can. I remember that whole night like it was yesterday." Peach put her hand on Mario's shoulder, leaned closer to him, and began to tell her rememberances of her father, mother, and the pendant of Mushroomia...**

**Princess Peach, barely five years old, was lying in her bed. The Mushroom King, a man with thick blonde hair and a red crown, sat back in his daughter's bedside chair and said, "What story would you like to hear tonight, my Princess?" **

**The small Peach thought for a bit and replies, "Oh, Daddy, you know I never like to hear old stories over and over again. I want to hear one of the new adventures of the Mushroomians!"**

**"Oh, all right. This is another tale from the history of our land... and this one is about the _Mushroom Pendant_." A _clink _came from the back of the Mushroom King's neck as he took off the pendant and held it out in his hands. The orb on the end captivated the little girl. Its lights shimmered and twisted like crystal rose petals. **

**"It's so... pretty. Daddy, how come you never told me about this before? I've never noticed you wearing it 'till tonight."**

**The King sighed. "Well, I wanted to wait... until the time was right."**

**"Time was right? What do you mean by that?" **

**The Mushroom King held one finger to his lips. "Shush, my darling," he cooed. "I promise you'll understand in time. But for now... why don't you just listen to the story of this beautiful object?" **

**"Okay, tell me, tell me." The young Princess snuggled up with her teddy bear and pillow. **

**"This is the story of the Mushroom Pendant, a story passed down from generation to generation just like the pendant itself. It is the oldest story in this world's existence. It star—"**

**"Daddy, whaddas 'exeeistence' mean?" **

**"Pah!" The King slapped himself upside the head. "Oh, sorry. I forgot that I'm talking to a five-year-old. I tend to use big words like that all the time; never be a politician like your daddy."**

**Peach, a rather smart one for her age, said, "I don't think I have a choice since I'm a princess."**

**The King laughed. "Ho, ho, ho ho! You're right, my dear! You have a silly old king for a father. I'm sorry. But anyway, I'll tell you what 'existence' is."**

**"And will you stop using big words after that? I get really confused." **

**Peach's father beamed. "Sure I will, Peachie. But getting back to that word, existence is... how long something's been around for."**

**The miniature Peach thought. "So you were talkin' about the _world's_ exeeistance. Wow! If that story's the oldest one ever, it must be like a million bajillion years old!"**

**"Yup," said the King. "It's that old. Not as old as me, though." **

**"_Really?"_**

**"HO! Of course not! How old do you think your father is?" **

**The door creaked open a tad and the Queen's voice rose out: "Do you really want her to answer that, Gusfung? I don't want to know how old my daughter thinks the man I love is. That'll make me feel ancient." **

**The king turned to the door. "Ah, look who's here!"**

**Peach jumped up and ran barefoot across the rug to the door. "Mommy! You're home!" **

**The Queen scooped up her little bundle of joy, and spinning her around, said, "How's my widdle Pwinceeeessss?" **

**"Moooom! I told you I was too old for that! Stooop!" She giggled and kicked as her mother tickled her. **

**"So, how was the... meeting...?" King Gusfung winked as his daughter looked away. **

**The Mushroom Queen put one hand on her hips and clucked, "Oh, come on, can't we talk about that later? Just keep telling her the story she's been waiting for!" **

**"Fine. Though it would help, Rose, if you actually put her in _bed_ first for a _bed_time story."**

**"Sorry, your Highness." And so the Queen put Peach in bed. "Now tell the story."**

**Peach sat up again. "Mommy, how come _you_ never tell me stories?" **

**Queen Rose coughed. "Because I'm terrible at it," she admitted. "Your father has always been a skilled storyteller, but me? Ha! You'd have projectile vomited if I had tried to tell you a story. And, let me tell you, baby puke dripping off you does not make a queenly impression on people."**

**The Princess giggled. "You don't sound like much of a queen using words like 'puke!'"**

**"Hey, I can use whatever words I want. I think those stiff, totally polite royal families are a borefest."**

**"Ladies, ladies, I hate to barge in on your _lovely _conversation," said Gusfung, "but I think it's time I told Peachie her story, eh?" **

**"Very well, then. Proceed," said the Queen.**

**"Anyway, yeah, the story's old. But it began back when the kingdom of Mushroomia was created, when King Moldus and Queen Dandel were the rulers." **

**"King Moldus was the guy that saved his daughter from being eaten by the Commando Dragon, right?" As Peach asked this, Rose raised one eyebrow and shook her head, mouthing "What on earth are you teaching her?"**

**"Errr... yeah, that's him. He and Queen Dandel started to form the beautiful kingdom of Mushroomia. Many people came to live there and had children; therefore, it grew and became prosperous. Oh, sorry! Prosperous means 'big and successful.' Mushroomia was a large and peaceful place. Until..."**

**"Until what?" **

**"Until the evil Koopa Empire moved in. King Koopa the First and his army of bad Koopas moved in and started to bombard the Queen and King's castle—"**

**"With Bob-ombs, Daddy?"**

**"Yes, darling, they used Bob-ombs. The King and Queen attacked the Koopa Empire back, with Goombas and other Mushroomians. A gigantic war went on, and many people died."**

**Peach gasped. "That's terrible! Did little kids like me die too?"**

**"Yes, they did. Sometimes by mistake... and sometimes on purpose."**

**"How awful! How could anyone fight so stupidly?"**

**"That's _exactly_ what Princess Lumina thought."**

**"There was a princess back then? Named Lumina?" **

**"Yup, and she thought the same as you: there shouldn't be any more fighting."**

**"So what did she do?"  
"Well, she suggested that the Mushroom Empire and the Koopa Empire rule the land together. And she said it to everyone up on the balcony of the Mushroom Castle amidst the battling."**

**"Did it work?"**

**"It sure did. King Koopa, Queen Dandel, King Moldus, and Princess Lumina eventually all became great friends. To show their hopes for happiness and love for each other, and the hopes for a greater empire of one, they created the Pendants— magical objects that hold pieces of the spirits of those who rule the kingdoms in our world every generation."**

**"But, Daddy... how come the Koopa Empire an' King Malev an' his son Bowser all hate us?" **

**"Well, over time, the Koopa Empire got greedy and it decided it wanted to conquer the world. That's all... it just got power-hungry."**

**"How dumb! They prob'ly did better when they were with us!"**

**"They really did. But they say they won't stop until they destroy us and the world is theirs."**

**"Hmmm... were there ever any empires besides us and the Koopas?" Peach looked curious.**

**"...Maybe. And that's what I plan to find out."**

**"What are you—"**

**"Nevermind. It's time for bed."**

**"That story didn't have a good ending."**

**"What do you mean? They all became friends!" King Gusfung exclaimed.**

**"But now we're all broken up and angry at each other. I wish that we could all just get along and build one big great empire. That's what I want to do when I get older!"**

**The King and Queen stared into their daughter's eyes. Hope and determination radiated from them, and they said almost nothing more, simply, "Good night, Princess. We love you."**

**The next day, King Gusfung and Queen Rose were gone, never to be seen again. The Mushroom Pendant lay abandoned on Peach's dresser. **

**The Princess burst into heavy sobbing again. "That was the last time I ever saw them!" she screamed. "After that, they went to work on their stupid project and they died doing it!" She let the tears stream down onto Mario's shoulder. Her chest heaved in and out as she gasped for air.**

**"That's-a terrible," Mario said, a tear of his own sliding down. "I didn't know your—" He stopped, at a dead end. **

**Peach, still coughing and crying, asked, "What? What's wrong, Mario?"**

**"No. I'm not-a going to talk about it. I'm better than that." **

**"Mario, just tell me. I'm... going to be okay."**

**"I said, no! I don't-a want to upset you."**

**"Mario, it's okay. I... I trust you." **

**"You do?" **

**"Yes... because... because... I have to say this... because..."**

**Silence, and then those magical words, overused, but some of the most powerful: "Because I love you, Mario." She hugged him tightly. **

**Mario blinked, a smile expanding on his face. "Princess, I love-a you too. After all we've-a been through... I have really strong-a feelings about this." He put his arms around her, as well, and they kissed. **

**A long, beautiful held-in attraction for each other was released. Mario, after all they had been through, had never known a woman so pure and longing for peace. And Peach, the one that constantly had to be saved, knew that Mario would always fight for what was good, no matter what. Their connection was nothing but pure heroic power, two people who would fight down evil wherever it sprung up.**

**After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped. **

**"M-Mario... I want to find that pendant." Peach shivered a little, though she was warmer and fuzzier than she thought she would ever be. **

**Mario gave her a thumbs-up. "Hee hee! That's-a no problemo! I'll-a gladly help you track this-a jerk down."**

**"Thank you, Mario. Now, uh... what were you going to ask me?" **

**"Peach... I'll ask-a you when I think the time is right." **

**"Okay. Thanks for being here for me, Mario."**

**"That's what love-a is all about, Princess Peach." **

**"Tee hee! Daddy would be so happy! Wouldn't you be, King Gusfung...?"**

**NASTY'S NEW NAME/END **

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wasn't that just so cute at the end? I think so; I got wonderful responses from my friends about it. But I think I need more practice at romance scenes... so you'll see a lot more. (Yeah, just for, um... _practice. _Yeah.) Continue to read _Hopes for an Empire! _Peace ouuuuuut!**

**-SesshouMario**


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